An out-of-form Reims side will once again go in search of their first win of 2025 when they welcome European hopefuls Nice to the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
The hosts sit 11th in the table but are winless in five top-flight outings, scoring only two goals in that time, whereas sixth-placed Nice come into the match off the back of victory over Rennes in their 2025 curtain-raiser last time out.
Match preview
© Imago
Reims ended 2024 with a 3-1 victory over seventh-tier outfit ASS Still Mutzig in the Coupe de France round of 64 to advance to the next stage; however, they could not build on that result to claim a win in their first league outing of 2025.
The Reds and Whites suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of struggling Saint-Etienne at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on January 4.
Luka Elsner's team took the lead through Keito Nakamura in the 42nd minute, but Ghanaian forward Augustine Boakye brought Saint-Etienne level in the 50th minute.
Boakye then handed the hosts the lead in the 57th minute, before Lucas Stassin's 80th-minute effort made sure of all three points for the Greens.
The loss means that Elsner's charges have gone winless in their last five league matches, playing out three draws and suffering two losses in the top division.
Worse still, they are not getting the rub of the green on their turf; their two wins, three draws and three losses from eight home fixtures — the joint-fourth worst home record this term — are symptomatic of their struggles in front of their fans.
With a home fixture next on the cards for the Reds and Whites, it remains to be seen if they will end their hoodoo of a four-game winless run at home.
Success for the 11th-placed hosts will guarantee their first victory over the visitors since August 2018 and their first home league win since a 4-2 triumph over Montpellier in October 2024, potentially putting more distance between them and the relegation zone — they are five points above Nantes in the relegation playoff spot and eight ahead of second-bottom Le Havre.
© Imago
Meanwhile, Nice have been impressive this season, as evidenced by occupying sixth place in the standings with 27 points, putting the Eaglets on course to secure European football for a second consecutive season.
Following their advancement to the Coupe de France round of 32, Nice continued their fine form in the top division, claiming a 3-2 win over Rennes in their first league outing of 2025 to extend their unbeaten run to three matches in Ligue 1.
Les Aiglons enter this fixture with confidence, having lost just once in their last 12 league matches — a 4-1 loss in Lyon at the start of December.
The away side's strong record against Reims, which includes an 11-match unbeaten streak, further reinforces their belief in extending their dominance over their opponents.
Central to their success this term is their goalscoring prowess, with the Eaglets boasting the third-best attack in the league, with a haul of 31 goals.
Franck Haise's men have scored in their last 10 league outings, with no fewer than two goals recorded in six of their previous eight engagements in the top division.
A Nice triumph at the Stade Auguste-Delaune on Saturday could see their points haul increase to 33 and potentially finish gameweek 17 in third place, provided other results go their way this weekend.
Team News
© Imago
Reims are set to be without Reda Khadra, who has been on the sidelines due to a cruciate ligament injury, while Abdoul Kone and Mohamed Daramy are suffering from hamstring and knee injuries respectively.
However, the home side's top scorer, Nakamura, along with Oumar Diakite and Junya Ito, the latter of whom has seven goal involvements, should make up the attacking trio.
For the visitors, Haise faces a selection headache as he heads into this fixture with a depleted squad due to a combination of suspensions and injuries.
Terem Moffi, Morgan Sanson, Ali Abdi and Jeremie Boga are not available for selection due to various injuries, while Pablo Rosario is suspended for this fixture following his dismissal against Rennes.
Nonetheless, Badredine Bouanani, Sofiane Diop and top scorer Evann Guessand, who has seven goals so far, are expected to support Gaetan Laborde in attack.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Kipre, Buta, De Smet, Akieme, Atangana Edoa, Munetsi, Kone; Ito, Diakite, Nakamura
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Abdelmonem, Ndayishimiye, Bard, Mendy; Ndombele, Boudaoui; Diop, Bouanani, Guessand; Laborde
We say: Reims 1-2 Nice
Nice are enjoying a good run of form this season, with only one loss in their last 12 league games.
Given the dismal form of the hosts and their inability to overcome the visitors in their last 11 meetings, the Eaglets are primed for a marginal 2-1 win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
