This Sunday, August 23, Paris Saint-Germain faces Rennes at Roazhon Park (kick-off at 8:45 PM, CET) in the opening round of the 2026-2027 Ligue 1 season. As before every match, here is a look at the Parisians’ opponents.
Rennes’ situation –
Although the Rennes club seemed poised for a successful spell—having secured European qualification at the end of the 2022-2023 season—fresh turbulence ensued. The start of the 2023-2024 campaign was difficult due to upheaval in the transfer market, ultimately leading to Bruno Génésio’s departure. Julien Stéphan—who had previously been with Rennes before a stint at Strasbourg starting in 2021—returned on November 20, 2024.
That did not solve all the problems—far from it. Eventually, at the end of January, another coach took charge of the Rennes squad: Habib Beye. Beye had made a name for himself at Red Star following a career as a Senegalese international defender and sports pundit. His arrival initially had a positive impact.
However, that momentum was short-lived, and he eventually ran into difficulties. He came close to being sacked in late 2025 before enjoying a strong run of results. Then came a fateful slump, paving the way for Franck Haise to step in and revive his career after a difficult spell at Nice. Arriving in February, the coach managed to bring consistency to a talented squad, securing a 6th-place finish—good enough for Europa League qualification. The goal for this season is to match or even improve upon that performance.
The 2026 summer transfer window –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals:
Key statistics –
Last season, Lens had the 5th-best attack in Ligue 1 with 59 goals scored (the leader, PSG, had 74, while the bottom teams, Angers and Nantes, had 29), and the 11th-best defense with 50 goals conceded (PSG had the best defense with 29 conceded, while the bottom team, Metz, conceded 76).
Rennes’ top scorer was Esteban Lepaul (26-year-old forward); with 21 goals, he topped the league (the runners-up in Ligue 1, Joaquin Panichelli and Mason Greenwood, had 16 goals). Mousa Al-Amari and Quentin Merlin (29- and 24-year-old left-backs) were the Breton club’s top assist providers with 6 assists each, ranking 7th and 13th in Ligue 1. Adrien Thomasson led Ligue 1 with 10 assists.
Rennes’ friendly matches –
Only Rennes’ possession is listed, and Rennes’ shots are shown first (where data is available).
09/07/2026 (friendly) – Rennes vs. Caen: 1-2. Played in a 4-3-3 formation.
17/07/2026 (friendly) – Rennes vs. Guingamp: 3-1. Played in a 4-3-3 formation.
25/07/2026 (friendly) – Rennes vs. Club Brugge: 2-1. Played in a 4-3-3 formation.
02/08/2026 (friendly) – Galatasaray vs. Rennes: 3-3. Played in a 4-3-3 formation.
08/08/2026 (friendly) – Rennes vs. Brentford: 2-4. Played in a 4-3-3 formation.
15/08/2026 (Friendly) – Sunderland vs. Rennes: 2-1. Played in a 4-3-3 formation.
The squad:
Out – Fofana (injury), Camara (suspension), Akabou, Brassier, Cissé, Do Marcolino, Embolo, Seidu, Sishuba (choices/transfers).
Probable 4-3-3 lineup:
Soumaré – Lepaul – Al-Tamari
Thomasson – Rongier – Szylmanski
Merlin – Cresswell – Aït Boudlal – Frankowski
Samba.
Substitutes : Lemaître, Belazzoug, Reynolds, Nagida, Oliveira, Rouault, Blas, Mayenda, Nordin.
Rennes’ playing style:
Franck Haise typically aims to dictate the tempo against opponents, employing a high, intense defensive line. The goal is to launch rapid attacks rather than prioritizing possession. It promises to be a very tough battle against PSG, though a strong press could cause problems—especially with a few extra weeks of pre-season training under their belts.
However, this approach also risks leaving gaps that the Parisians can quickly exploit. In any case, we can expect very fast attacking transitions; it remains to be seen where they will originate, but PSG will clearly need to be highly focused and precise to secure all three points from this difficult away fixture.
