Preview: PSG host Rennes, Brest travel to Auxerre

Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain side will be hoping to extend their unbeaten start to the season and get back to winning ways following their away draw to Stade de Reims last weekend (1-1). With Monaco and Marseille hot on the heels of the Rouge et Bleu, Enrique's men will be hoping to leverage home advantage for a potential fifth win of the season in Ligue 1.

Yet they come up against a Rennes side that have historically posed a big issue for PSG at home in the QSI era. In fact, Les Parisiens have only been weaker on home soil to Monaco (36% win rate) since the 2011-2012 season, with PSG having won 58% of the matches played against Rennes at the Parc des Princes in the same time period. Julien Stéphan's side come into the game after two-points dropped against Lens in the final minute (1-1) in their previous Ligue 1 outing. Les Rouge et Noir have won two of their first five games in Ligue 1, and are yet to get points on the board away from home.

PSG are managing several fitness concerns, with Nuno Mendes recently rested from training due to illness, while Marco Asensio continues his recovery from injury and remains a doubt. Vitinha has been in individual training after a minor setback in his recovery from an ankle injury, and Désiré Doué has been limited to gym work following a right ankle sprain, making him unlikely to feature against Rennes. Lucas Hernández remains sidelined with an ACL tear that also ruled him out of Euro 2024.

For Rennes, Amine Gouiri and Ludovic Blas are expected to continue their partnership against Strasbourg. Albert Gronbaek, after scoring his first goal for the club, seems set for a starting role under Stéphan, while new signing Jota is likely to feature from the bench against PSG.

PSG Expected line-up: Safonov; Mukiele, Marquinhos, Pacho, Hakimi; Zaïre-Emery, Ruiz, Neves; Barcola, Kolo Muani, Dembélé.

Rennes Expected line-up: Mandanda; Truffert, Østigard, Wooh, Hateboer; Kamara, Matusiwa, Grønbaek, Blas; Gouiri, Kalimuendo. 

Auxerre vs. Brest: Roy's boys aiming for three wins on the bounce

Eric Roy's Stade Brestois are hoping to make it three wins in a row in all competitions as they face a struggling Auxerre outfit who could record their fifth straight defeat in Ligue 1. Christophe Pélissier's side made a promising return to Ligue 1 with a last-minute win against OGC Nice (2-1), but their form since has hit a landslide with defeats to Nantes (2-0), Le Havre (3-1), Monaco (0-3), and fellow strugglers Montpellier (3-2).

The three promoted sides (Auxerre, Saint-Étienne, Angers) now occupy the relegation spots  heading into matchday 6 of Ligue 1, which is a first since the start of matchday 23 of the 2014-2015 season (Caen, Lens and Metz). It is also the very first time this has happened in an 18-team Ligue 1 format.

Things couldn't be looking much better for Brest right now. Les Pirates head to the Burgundy region having turned around their poor start to the season in Ligue 1 with a win against Saint-Étienne (4-0) and Toulouse (2-0), also marking their maiden voyage in the UEFA Champions League with a first-ever European win against Austrian side Sturm Graz (2-1).

l'AJA have suffered with injuries since the start of the season as Gideon Mensah, Ange Loic N'gatta, Saad Agouzoul, Nathan Buayi-Kiala, and Coulibaly are all expected to remain sidelined against Brest, while Jubal's availability is in doubt following his early substitution due to injury during their defeat to Montpellier.

Les Ti'Zefs, on the other hand, will be without Bradley Locko, Pierre Lees-Melou, and Romain Del Castillo, although Lees-Melou and Del Castillo are expected to return in the coming weeks. Mama Baldé is also unlikely to feature after picking up an injury in the 66th minute of their last match, with Ludovic Ajorque likely to take his place up front. Manager Éric Roy will be absent from the sidelines following his red card in the win over Toulouse, leaving Julien Lachuer in charge from the dugout.

AJ Auxerre Expected line-up: Leon; Hoever, Diomande, Raveloson, Osho, Akpa; Traore, Owusu, Danois, Sinayoko; Aye

Brest Expected line-up: Bizot; Zogbe, Cardinal, Ndiaye, Haidara; Lage, Magnetti, Martin; Doumbia; Salah, Ajorque

READ MORE: 

Recap: Nakamura, Dembélé score as PSG-Reims Draw

Recap: Injury-time Nzola goal sees Lens snatch draw at Rennes