Ligue 1 top scorer Lepaul has no ankle lesion but is doubtful for Juventus trip

Rennes striker Estéban Lepaul, Ligue 1's leading scorer with seven goals, has no lesion in his left ankle, according to scans reported by Ouest-France on Tuesday. The good news does not settle his short-term future: the 26-year-old remains very doubtful for Thursday's Europa League trip to Juventus.

Three penalties, then the ankle

Lepaul scored all three Rennes goals in Sunday's 4-3 defeat at Paris FC, each from the spot. He converted in the 29th minute after a foul on him by Paris FC's Pierre Lees-Melou, in the 74th after Samir Chergui of Paris FC brought down Mousa Al-Tamari, and in the 88th after a handball by Paris FC substitute Otavio from a corner, levelling the game each time. It was the second hat-trick of his career, according to So Foot.

In the 90th minute, at 3-3 and with Rennes pushing, Lepaul stayed down with pain in his left ankle and went off. Rennes finished with ten men, and Paris FC striker Lassine Sinayoko won it with a stoppage-time penalty after referee Bastien Dechepy checked a challenge by Rennes's Valentin Rongier on the screen. Rennes would have gone top of Ligue 1 with a win; they sit sixth on 13 points, one behind the five clubs level at the top.

"I don't see how he could play"

Rennes coach Franck Haise was gloomy straight after the match. "Knowing him, if he goes off in stoppage time, at 3-3, during a strong spell for us, because he tells me he can't carry on, I don't see how he could play in the very short term, and Thursday is the very short term," he said. "I've only seen one image, it's hard to understand. If he couldn't carry on, I know it's a real problem."

Lepaul was more hopeful on Ligue 1+. "I don't know. It's a feeling I've never had before. I think my ankle turned a little, but I can still move it, so that's rather a good sign," he said. He was also frustrated by the result: "It's tough when you come back three times and, unfortunately, you punish yourselves in the last moments of the match."

Almost half of Rennes's league goals

The stakes for Rennes are in the numbers. Lepaul's seven goals in seven league games are almost half of the 15 Rennes have scored, and the hat-trick put him alone at the top of the scoring chart, one ahead of Sinayoko on six. Marseille's Amine Gouiri and Toulouse's Casper Tengstedt follow on five.

Rennes, who earned their first Europa League win against OFI Crete last week, face a much tougher test in Turin. They then host Strasbourg on Sunday in Ligue 1, which gives Lepaul a few more days to recover. No return date has been given.