Reims and Lens get the Ligue 1 weekend underway when they meet at the Stade Auguste-Delaune on Friday night in a clash between two of the strongest sides in the division not competing in Europe this season.
A severe dip in form has seen Lens plummet close to the bottom half, and they now find themselves behind their upcoming opponents in the table.
Match preview
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Reims boss Luka Elsner will have been glad to see his side perform well after returning from the November international break, coming from a goal down to salvage a point against in-form Lyon.
Following the return of club football after the October break, Reims went on a dismal three-game losing streak that saw their European hopes take a significant blow.
Just prior to the recent international window, Reims put things right with an impressive 3-0 win at Le Havre, and did well to take anything off a Lyon side that are now seven games unbeaten domestically.
Reims now sit just four points off the top four, and are within touching distance of the minor European places, with Elsner, who only arrived in the summer, looking capable of improving on the club's top-half finish from last season.
For the neutrals, Reims have also been one of the more entertaining sides to watch, as just one of three clubs without a home clean sheet so far, but they have made up for that by scoring plenty, having now hit 20 goals at this stage of a Ligue 1 season for the first time since the 1976-77 season.
Funnily enough, that season was the last time Reims beat Lens in the French top-flight, as their barren run now stretches back 12 games.
Lens are not particularly successful in this fixture either though, having won on just two of their 28 trips to Reims in top-flight history, with that 7% win ratio ranking as their worst against any opponent.
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With neither side winning often in this fixture, it is no surprise that the last two meetings here have ended 1-1, and considering that Lens have drawn five of their 12 league games so far, another could be in store.
However, none of the Blood and Gold's last five matches have actually ended level, with form slipping alarmingly for Will Still's side of late.
Injuries have decimated their backline, and with it, so has their stability in the defensive third, shown in a 3-1 defeat to Marseille last weekend.
Bad luck cost Lens again though, like it did against Lille recently, because Remy Labeau Lascary saw his 86th-minute equaliser disallowed by VAR, before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg quickly added a third for the visitors.
That means Lens have now conceded eight goals in their last four, double the amount they let in across their first eight matches of the season, and that leakiness, paired with an attack that ranks as the fourth-worst in Ligue 1, has seen them drop to ninth, despite being in the top four earlier in the campaign.
Team News
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Reims will be able to welcome Emmanuel Agbadou back from suspension here after he missed the draw with Lyon due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Reda Khadra is set to return from a recent setback soon, but it is unclear whether quarter Mohammed Daramy, Joseph Okumu, Maxime Busi and Abdoul Kone will be available before Ligue 1's winter break.
Lens' recent defensive troubles should be partly solved by the return of both Jonathan Gradit and Abdukodir Khusanov from suspension for this one.
Ruben Aguilar remains the only defender on the sidelines, with most of Lens' injuries coming in attack, regarding Wesley Said, Martin Satriano and Jimmy Cabot.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Sangui, Kipre, Agbadou, Akieme; Atangana Edoa, Kone, Munetsi; Ito, Diakite, Nakamura
Lens possible starting lineup:
Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Diouf, Thomasson, Machado; Zaroury, Nzola, Sotoca
We say: Reims 0-0 Lens
Lens rarely score many, but they do remain competitive until the very end, and this is a tough game to call, as it could go either way by a solitary goal.
The hosts are back on track after a wobble in October, but this will be another tough home test like their clash with Lyon last week despite Lens' recent struggles, and a similar scoreline could be in store.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
