Monaco striker Radamel Falcao will miss out on this weekend's Ligue 1 clash with Rennes with a thigh injury.

Manager Claudio Ranieri insisted that his decision to leave out the Colombian international was purely cautionary.

"He's been suffering from a thigh problem. Even if the medical checks have not shown anything worrying, we have decided not to take any chance with our best striker," he told reporters. "So he will not play against Rennes.

"He's been feeling some pain these past few days so I'm not taking any risk."

Falcao could be replaced by highly-rated youngster Anthony Martial, who impressed during a substitute appearance in last weekend's 1-0 win over Nantes.