When Stade Rennais and Olympique de Marseille meet on the opening day of the Ligue 1 season, Marseille will encounter some familiar faces among the Rennes squad. During the summer transfer period, Quentin Merlin and Valentin Rongier, both formerly of FC Nantes, completed their moves from the Vélodrome back to Brittany. These transfers have reportedly drawn criticism from Benjamin Bourigeaud, a former captain of Rennes.
However, one former Marseille player who will not be featuring for Rennes is Lilian Brassier. The defender, who previously played for Stade Brestois, spent just six months at Olympique Marseille after joining them last summer. He initially arrived at Rennes on loan in January before making his transfer permanent this summer.
Brassier sustained an injury during a pre-season friendly match against Real Sociedad over the past weekend. According to French sports newspaper L`Équipe, the French footballer suffered an ankle sprain and is anticipated to be sidelined for a period of two to three weeks.