Lille vs Rennes: Team News, Mbappé Injury & Fernandez-Pardo Return

Lille faces a challenging match against Rennes this Saturday at 9:05 p.m. with several key players unavailable due to participation in the African Cup of Nations-Chancel Mbemba and Aïssa Mandi among them-but their call-ups have allowed them to progress past the group stage.

Bruno Genesio’s squad will also be without Romain perraud, who is serving the second match of his suspension. Ousmane Toure remains sidelined due to injury.

Ethan Mbappé is expected to miss the Rennes game, though Genesio indicated, “it’s not too bad, but it will be OK against Lyon in the cup.”

Though, Lille will welcome back Nathan Ngoy after his suspension. Alexsandro, who was part of the squad for the cup match but didn’t play, is available, as is Calvin Verdonk. Thiago Santos also gained valuable playing time as a starter during the cup run.

Did you know? – Lille has advanced past the group stage of a competition despite key players being at the African Cup of Nations, demonstrating squad depth.

Raghouber’s Potential Departure?

Matias Fernandez-Pardo, having been rested during the cup match after a previous absence, participated fully in training, offering a positive outlook for the offensive lineup alongside Giroud, Haraldsson, Correia, Sahraoui, and Broholm, who scored against Saint-Maur.

Third-choice goalkeeper Marc-Aurèle Caillard rejoined training this morning, joined by eight players from the youth academy.

Injured player Ugo Raghouber was absent from training and appears likely to leave the club.

Pro tip – Keep an eye on Matias Fernandez-Pardo; his full participation in training suggests he’s poised to contribute significantly to Lille’s attack.

Clarification of Changes & How Questions are Answered:

* Expanded into a News Report: The original “thin update” was expanded with more context and detail, turning it into a more substantive news report.
* why: The article explains why certain players are unavailable (African Cup of Nations, suspension, injury).
* Who: The article identifies who is affected (Mbemba, Mandi, Perraud, Toure, Mbappé, Ngoy, alexsandro, Verdonk, Santos, Fernandez-Pardo, caillard, Raghouber).
* What: The article details what is happening – a crucial upcoming match against Rennes, player availability, potential departures.
* how: The article explains how the situation developed (players called up to the African Cup of Nations, suspensions served, injuries sustained, training participation).
* Breakpoints & Interactive Boxes: Two natural breakpoints were identified:
* After the initial player availability update (before the “