L’adversaire

Like a cold winter coming to end, les Rouge et Noir have steadily climbed back up the championnat with the hint of spring to come. L’adversaire, in as much as it has been the club they face each week, has it has been their self but it appears those step backwards have stopped as Guy Lacombe has righted Rennais' course. As they face Le Muc 72 at Stade Léon-Bollée, Daniel Jeandupeux has turned his clubs direction since joining them last month making this battle a delicious mix of two sides on a collision course. Surging forward, momentum has propelled the Le Mans club away from relegation concerns and they look towards a bright horizon.

Rennais looks towards their own immediate future brightly as Kader Mangane and playmaker Jérôme Leroy return to the lineup although Julián Estéban and Asamoah Gyan still need more time. The heralded return of Leroy provides les Rouge & Noir a near perfect lineup to choose from and a wealth of possibilities for M. Lacombe as it relates to Jimmy Briand and Mickaël Pagis. The key to the match on paper is likely the insightful work of Jérôme Leroy and Olivier Thomert as well as the challenging task for Le Mans to control Jimmy Briand but in truth it is whether Rennais can face its greatest adversary, itself, head on and challenge the top of the championnat once again.