Athletico Marseille vs Rennes Predictions

• Athletico Marseille are currently 74 league places below Rennes on the French football ladder.
• Rennes have an excellent away record against lower-level teams. Since 2014, they’ve won each of their last five away games against teams outside of Ligue 1.

Minnows go for cup upset

Having made it through three rounds to get this far, Athletico Marseille, who hail from France’s fifth tier, have excelled themselves, though they’ve not faced opposition from either of the top two divisions. Their biggest achievement thus far is beating Rodez, who operate in Ligue 2, the second division of French football. Beating higher-level opposition is certainly commendable, though there’s a big difference between facing a mid-table second-tier side and taking on one of Ligue 1’s best. Their narrow victory in that fixture doesn’t exactly bode well ahead of a match against a Rennes side that is currently thriving in Ligue 1.

Rennes must avoid embarrassment

Rennes are currently enjoying an excellent campaign. They’re 3^rd in Ligue 1, while they arrive at this juncture having won seven of their last ten in all competitions, beating some very good sides such as Lazio and Lyon in the process. They certainly won’t want their recent achievements to be overshadowed by losing to lower-level opposition in the cup.

Fortunately, Rennes have a pleasing recent away record against lower-level opponents. Since 2014, Sunday’s visitors have won each of their five travelling Coupe de France matches against teams from one of the divisions below, recording victories of 0-2, 0-1, 1-2, 0-6 and 0-2. Their recent 0-2 victory away against a side from the division above Sunday’s opponents bodes well.

Easy ride for Ligue 1 side

As much as everybody loves a cup upset, well, everybody apart from the team being upset, this isn’t likely to be one. There’s a huge gap in quality between the pair and that is likely to be evident from the word go. Those interested in getting involved in this fixture aren’t likely to go far wrong with ‘Rennes to Score Over 2.5 Goals’. Their recent efforts against a side from the division above Athletico Marseille point towards Rennes enjoying themselves offensively.