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[monks data]
Reims
Ligue 1 | Gameweek 13
Nov 7, 2021 at 2pm UK
Stade Auguste Delaune
Monaco

Reims
0 - 0
Monaco

FT

Golovin (25'), Badiashile (57')

Preview: Reims vs. Monaco - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Ligue 1 clash between Reims and Monaco, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Reims will look to drag themselves away from the Ligue 1 relegation zone when they welcome Monaco to the Stade Auguste Delaune on Sunday afternoon.

Just two points separate Reims from the bottom three, while Monaco have been unable to build on last season's third-place finish and currently sit 10th.


Match preview

Monaco's Aurelien Tchouameni pictured in September 2021© Reuters

Having taken the side back into the Champions League qualification rounds in the previous campaign, Niko Kovac would have had aspirations of cementing a place in Ligue 1's top three, yet the Croatian manager has been left disappointed so far.

Monaco won only one of their opening six league matches, with the club at one point dropping as low as 19th in the table.

Thankfully for the Monegasques, they have since found some form and a run of one defeat in six matches between September and October had left the side on the brink of a European place.

That optimism was crushed last time out by relegation-threatened Brest, who were surprising 2-0 winners over Monaco, shunting their recent run of good results.

Kovac's side will be confident of returning to winning ways this weekend when they face another side struggling for form, not least because they are unbeaten in the previous six meetings together.

A draw at the Stade Louis II last August was followed up by a convincing 2-0 win at the Stade Auguste Delaune in May, as Kovac and Monaco targeted a spot in the Champions League.

Reims could hardly be further away from the Champions League spaces, with only a two-point buffer separating them from Ligue 1's relegation zone.

Oscar Garcia, now in charge of Reims, pictured in 2019© Reuters

Their four-season spell in the top flight is currently under pressure, having experienced a relatively comfortable stay in Ligue 1 since returning in 2018.

Two consecutive top-half standings welcomed the Red and Whites back from Ligue 2, while last season's 14th-placed finish was their lowest in Ligue 1 since their most recent relegation season in 2015-16.

Similarly to Monaco, Reims also had a winless start to the current campaign, going four matches without a win, before triumphing against Stade Rennais.

Since then, they have only manged to take three points on one other occasion, with a victory against visitors Monaco on Sunday looking like an increasingly difficult proposition.

Reims Ligue 1 form:
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • L

Monaco Ligue 1 form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L

Monaco form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • D



Team News

Reims' Wout Faes reacts as referee Benoit Bastien sends off Stade de Reims' Hugo Ekitike (not pictured) after a VAR review on October 1, 2021© Reuters

If Reims hold any hopes of snatching something against Monaco, they will most likely have to rely on the talents of Hugo Ekitike, who has netted a quarter of their goals this season.

What is more, he has scored in both of Reims' wins this season, making his four goals for the campaign invaluable to the Red and Whites.

Ekitike and the rest of his Reims teammates' jobs will be made even harder by the absence of a number of players, with two first-team regulars out injured.

Mitchell Van Bergen and Marshall Munetsi have made 12 league appearances between them this season, but the pair will be absent on Sunday.

Further injury concerns for Reims boss David Guion include Fraser Hornby and Arber Zeneli, who are yet to feature this season.

Monaco are not without their own injury concerns, as Kovac himself will be without three players to pick from for their trip North.

Krepin Diatta will be missing with an ankle injury, whilst Eliot Matazo is struggling with a muscle problem that has troubled the promising forward all season.

An almost constant in the Monaco side last season, Cesc Fabregas has only made five appearances across all competitions this year and will not feature on Sunday due to a sustained hamstring issue.

Reims possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Doucoure, Faes, Abdelhamid, Konan; Matusiwa, Cassama; Flips, Mbuku, Toure; Ekitike

Monaco possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Aguilar, Maripan, Badiashile, Henrique; Martins, Tchouameni, Lucas, Diop; Volland, Ben Yedder


SM words green background

We say: Reims 1-2 Monaco

If Kovac and Monaco have any hopes of reaching the lofty heights that they achieved last season, they must start to pick up more wins in the games against sides below them.

Whether the Brest defeat was a blip or not remains to be seen, yet Reims have not demonstrated enough to suggest they will be able to stop Monaco this weekend.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 2.5:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Monaco win with a probability of 49.7%. A draw had a probability of 26.3% and a win for Reims had a probability of 23.95%.

The most likely scoreline for a Monaco win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.22%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.76%) and 1-2 (9.14%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.38%), while for a Reims win it was 1-0 (8.4%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with an 9% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Reims vs Monaco

Reims
19.5%
Draw
9.8%
Monaco
70.7%
41
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Monaco's Aurelien Tchouameni pictured in September 2021
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
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1Paris Saint-GermainPSG108202982126
2Marseille1062223121120
3MonacoMonaco10622157820
4Lille10532169718
5Nice104421991016
6Lyon104331715215
7Lens1035297214
8Reims104241615114
9StrasbourgStrasbourg103431919013
10Auxerre104151718-113
11Brest104151316-313
12Toulouse103341111012
13Rennes103251316-311
14NantesNantes102441214-210
15Angers102441116-510
16Saint-EtienneSt Etienne103161024-1410
17Le HavreLe Havre10307820-129
18Montpellier HSCMontpellier10118830-224


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