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Reims
Ligue 1 | Gameweek 19
Jan 15, 2023 at 2pm UK
Stade Auguste Delaune
Nice

Reims
0 - 0
Nice


Cajuste (51')
FT

Lotomba (90+5')

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

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

Reims can stretch their unbeaten run to 11 consecutive matches domestically when they welcome Nice to Stade Auguste-Delaune for a Ligue 1 affair on Sunday.

Both sides are even with 24 points, with Les Aiglons slightly ahead on goal difference despite winning just one of their previous four league fixtures.


Match preview

Reims players clap the fans following defeat to Marseille in October 2022© Reuters

A change in management seems to have been what the champagne club that is Reims needed to get their top-flight campaign on the right track.

Under William Still, Reims look reinvigorated, currently on their second-longest unbeaten run in Ligue 1 in 60 years, with their previous best being 13 matches without a defeat between December 2018 and March 2019.

The Belgians' infectious positivity has lifted the energy of this club, with the 30-year-old interim boss changing to a 4-2-3-1 formation, which has been highly effective.

They have captured three successive domestic home fixtures, as many as in their previous 17, while another one this weekend would equal the longest winning run for them at Stade Auguste-Delaune in this competition since October-November 2014.

However, Les Rouges et Blancs have not triumphed over Nice in a domestic encounter at home since the 2013-14 campaign, losing this exact fixture 3-2 a season ago.

After 18 league games, Reims have allowed the fewest goals among sides in the bottom half of the table (23) and have not given up more than one strike in this competition since drawing Troyes 2-2 at the beginning of October.

Khephren Thuram for Nice in November 2022© Reuters

He was on the hot seat seemingly for months, and last week the metaphorical axe finally dropped on Lucien Favre as his now former team exited the Coupe de France with a 1-0 defeat versus third-tier side Le Puy Foot 43 Auvergne.

The managerial debut of Didier Digard with the first team could not have gone better as Le Gym clobbered Montpellier 6-1, their largest margin of victory in a domestic affair since defeating Bordeaux by that same score in the 2015-16 Ligue 1 campaign.

In that victory on Wednesday, Nice broke their record for shots on target (10) and expected goals (2.87) in a top-flight game this season, managing only three targeted efforts in each of their previous three Ligue 1 contests.

They have not triumphed away from home at this competition since late October, and thanks to their victory earlier this week, Nice avoided their worst start to this stage of a top-flight campaign since 2014-15.

Les Aiglons have kept three clean sheets in their last four meetings with Reims in the top flight, though they also failed to find the back of the net three times.

In 68 Ligue 1 fixtures against them, Nice have come out on top 25 times, making them the team with the second-most head-to-head triumphs versus Reims in this competition, behind only Saint-Etienne.

Reims Ligue 1 form:

Nice Ligue 1 form:


Nice form (all competitions):



Team News

Reims manager William Still pictured in October 2022© Reuters

Marshall Munetsi fired home just his second of the campaign on Wednesday, helping Reims to a 1-0 victory over Ajaccio.

In that encounter, Yehvann Diouf picked up his first clean sheet since November, while Martin Adeline and Kaj Sierhuis each had a brace when they defeated Loon-Plage 7-0 at the Coupe de France last weekend.

Kamory Doumbia had one of their goals when they lost to Nice last season, Folarin Balogun, who is tied for third in Ligue 1 with 10 strikes, has not found the back of the net in his last two league fixtures, while he had a brace and Alexis Flips scored once in their previous home victory, 3-1 over Rennes.

Nathanael Mbuku remains on the sidelines because of an unknown problem, while Noah Holm is out until mid-February due to a knee injury.

Nicolas Pepe and Ross Barkley each had a brace for Nice when they defeated Montpellier, with the other goals coming courtesy of Khephren Thuram and Andy Delort.

Delort had a hat trick in their previous visit to the champagne region, helping his side erase a 2-0 deficit and win 3-2, while Kasper Schmeichel has conceded a goal or fewer in two of his last three domestic encounters.

Marcin Bulka has a sore shoulder, while Youcef Atal is not expected back until the end of the month from his ankle injury.

Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; De Smet, Abdelhamid, Agbadou, Foket; Matusiwa, Munetsi; Cajuste, Flips, Ito; Balogun

Nice possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Lotomba, Todibo, Dante, Bryan; Barkley, Ramsey; Pepe, Thuram, Diop; Laborde


SM words green background

We say: Reims 1-0 Nice

Managerial changes have had an early positive effect on both sides this season, but Still seems to have built a system at Reims which looks sustainable, while one match with Nice is not enough information to suggest things have transformed under Digard.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


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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Game History

How you voted: Reims vs Nice

Reims
50.8%
Draw
33.9%
Nice
15.3%
59
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Khephren Thuram for Nice in November 2022
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Paris Saint-GermainPSG12102036102632
2MonacoMonaco1282221101126
3Marseille1272327161123
4Lille115421811719
5Lyon125431916319
6Reims125342016418
7Nice1145221111017
8Lens124531312117
9Auxerre115152019116
10Toulouse124351314-115
11StrasbourgStrasbourg113442022-213
12Brest124171622-613
13Saint-EtienneSt Etienne124171125-1413
14Rennes113261318-511
15NantesNantes112451417-310
16Angers112451320-710
17Le HavreLe Havre11308823-159
18Montpellier HSCMontpellier122191132-217


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