Rennes have had a mixed pre-season — unbeaten in their last three but with all ending in draws, showing they’ve been hard to beat but also struggling to finish teams off. They did put three past Nantes in late July, but that’s the only game in their last five where they’ve scored more than twice.

Marseille look a bit sharper coming into Ligue 1’s opener. They’ve gone unbeaten in pre-season, with wins over Aston Villa and Girona and competitive draws against Sevilla and Valencia. Their attack seems balanced, and their defence has conceded just four goals in their last five games.

Recent head-to-heads give Marseille the edge — they won both league meetings last season, scoring at least twice in each. If that trend continues, they may have the psychological advantage here.

Given Rennes’ home crowd and Marseille’s slightly stronger form, this could shape up as a competitive but open game. A narrow Marseille win or a score draw looks like the most likely outcome.

H2H