Rennes vs Lille preview and prediction: attack meets defence in Ligue 1's top three

A top-three meeting at Roazhon Park

Rennes host Lille in Ligue 1 at Roazhon Park on Sunday 8 November, with kick-off at 14:00 UTC. As things stand, the two sides sit next to each other in the table.

Lille are second with 18 points from 9 matches, after 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat. Rennes are third with 16 points from 9, having won 5, drawn 1 and lost 3. Both could play again before this fixture, so the picture may change going into the coming rounds.

Contrasting profiles

The numbers show two very different teams. Rennes have scored 20 goals and conceded 19, a goal difference of +1. They average 2.2 goals scored and 2.1 conceded per match. They have failed to score in 11% of their games, and 89% of their matches have gone over 2.5 goals.

Lille have scored 12 and conceded 6, a goal difference of +6. They average 1.3 scored and 0.7 conceded, with clean sheets in 56% of their games. They have scored in every match so far, and only 22% of their games have gone over 2.5 goals.

Recent form

Rennes have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 2 of their last 5, scoring 12 and conceding 12. They lost 2-5 away to Nice on 30 October, after beating Strasbourg 3-0 at home on 25 October. Before that came a 2-2 draw away to Juventus, a 3-4 defeat away to Paris FC and a 2-1 home win over OFI.

Lille have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their last 5, scoring 5 and conceding 9. They beat Lens 1-0 at home on 30 October and drew 1-1 away to Monaco on 25 October. They lost 2-4 at home to Galatasaray, drew 1-1 with Stade Brestois 29 and lost 0-3 away to Arsenal.

The expected goals figures for Rennes show matches played at a high tempo at both ends. In the defeat at Nice they recorded 2.66 xG for and 3.47 against. Lille's best recent figure came against Lens, with 1.79 xG for and 0.25 against.

Head-to-head

Lille have the better recent record in this fixture. Of the last 5 meetings, Lille have won 3, Rennes 1 and 1 was drawn. Lille won 2-1 at Roazhon Park on 15 March 2026, while Rennes won 2-0 at Lille on 3 January 2026. Before that, Lille won 2-0 in Rennes in February 2025 and 1-0 at home in November 2024. The two drew 2-2 in Lille in March 2024.

Outlook

No absences are reported for either side at the time of writing.

The form points towards a contest between an attack that scores and concedes freely and a defence that has given little away this season. Lille's recent results have been less secure than their league record, and Rennes have conceded heavily in their last two away games. A closely fought game looks likely, with the goals Rennes tend to score the question for Lille's defence.