Strasbourg could slide into the relegation spots this weekend if they lose to a ninth-placed Reims side four places above them in the Ligue 1 table heading into Sunday's gameweek 14 clash at Stade de la Meinau.
Liam Rosenoir's men have lost four on the trot, leaving them looking over their shoulders after an unwanted sequence they aim to halt against an opponent with superior results on their travels in 2024-25.
Match preview
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While wins were few and far between at the start of the season, as evidenced by Strasbourg claiming two successes from their opening seven, Le Racing were beaten once in that period.
However, five of the subsequent six matches have ended in defeat for Rosenoir's men, leaving Les Bleu et Blanc in 13th on 13 points, a point clear of Le Havre in the relegation playoff spot and two above 17th-placed Nantes.
Although the hosts have been hard to beat in front of their supporters, the previous match as hosts ended in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Monaco, and they aim to avoid back-to-back losses at Stade de la Meinau for the first time since February.
Having won six of nine matches in their backyard (one loss) before the November 9 reverse, Rosenoir hopes it was nothing but a blip for a side keen to return to winning ways.
Recent history in this fixture saw Strasbourg beat Reims 3-1 in April, and a similar outcome will be what the doctor ordered for Le RCS.
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Standing in their path are Reims, whose inclination to put up stronger showings on their travels than at home possibly stands them in good stead before Sunday's Alsace's visit.
Luka Elsner's men have notched 10 of 18 points on their travels, most recently dispatching relegation-threatened Le Havre (3-0) on Elsner's return to his old side after losses at Auxerre (1-2) and Toulouse (0-1).
The Red and Whites have avoided defeats in four of six road matches, clinching maximum points in 50% of fixtures on their travels, undoubtedly superior to two wins in seven in Reims — a 28.6 win percentage at their ground.
With two points separating Elsner's men from entering the league's top six, success for the ninth-placed club and results elsewhere going in their favour — Nice dropping points to Le Havre and Lens slipping up against wretched cellar-dwelling Montpellier — could see Elsner's men end the round in the Conference League qualification spot.
However, Les Rouges et Blancs must overcome historical struggles against Sunday's opponents, whom they have defeated once in 14 meetings, to continue a commendable start away from home this term.
Team News
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Strasbourg are not expected to have Emanuel Emegha and Moise Sahi available due to knee issues, while Alaa Bellaarouch has a groin problem.
In spite of the team's struggles, Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos has shone: the midfield man has five Ligue 1 goals, has fashioned four big chances and keeps impressing with his tenacity out of possession.
Reims travel to Strasbourg without Reda Khadra and Mohamed Daramy, who have knee injuries, while Abdoul Kone will be assessed.
Despite keeping one clean sheet in 17 Ligue 1 games, Elsner will hope his forwards Keito Nakamura (six goals), Oumar Diakite (four) and Junya Ito (three) make a difference at Le Racing this weekend.
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Doue, Sow, Sarr, Moreira; Diarra, Santos; Bakwa, Lemarechal, Nanasi; Mara
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Buta, Kipre, Agbadou, Akieme; Munetsi, Edoa, Teuma; Ito, Diakite, Nakamura
We say: Strasbourg 1-1 Reims
Sunday's match is close to call, given that Strasbourg have won once in the last five (four losses), and Reims have done likewise, albeit losing three. Thus, a stalemate could be in the offing between these two clubs, whose performances have been mixed to underwhelming.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
