The start of the season promises to be unusual for the reigning French champions: their opening match against Rennes will be played away from the Parc des Princes due to the poor condition of the pitch in Paris. This deprives PSG of their usual home advantage, but is unlikely to affect their attacking spirit. In their previous two meetings at Rennes, the teams exchanged crushing victories: PSG won 4-1, and a year later, Rennes took revenge with a 3-1 scoreline.
The teams' current state only strengthens their confidence in high-scoring football. Rennes had serious defensive problems in pre-season matches, something that coach Franck Eze himself acknowledges, despite his team consistently scoring. PSG, despite the loss of Nuno Mendes due to suspension and the uncertain situation with Bradley Barcol, has a strong attacking unit and is capable of compensating for these losses. Head-to-head statistics also favor an over-all total: four of Rennes' last five matches against PSG have seen over 2.5 goals scored.
The hosts' defense, having postponed the match, looks vulnerable, while the visitors, on the other hand, will be eager to take advantage of their opportunity and punish the champions on their temporary home field. However, the loss of their home status is unlikely to force PSG to play cautiously; quite the contrary, they will want to prove their strength from the start. Given the attacking potential of both teams and their history of high-scoring encounters, we expect an open game with plenty of scoring chances.
