Reims travel to Brest in Ligue 1 this weekend, looking to distance themselves from the relegation zone in the standings.
Samba Diawara's side are 15th in the table, just one point above Le Havre in the relegation playoff position, and two points ahead of Saint-Etienne in 17th.
Match preview
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Reims are currently on a dismal run in the league, and they have not won in Ligue 1 since a 3-0 victory against fellow strugglers Le Havre on November 10.
After a strong start to the season under Luka Elsner, in which the club won four of their opening seven matches in Ligue 1, things appeared to be going well for Slovenian manager, who joined the club last summer from Le Havre.
However, a nine-match winless run in the league between November and February was enough for Reims to make a change in the dugout, with Diawara given the job permanently last month.
Reims have lost all of their league matches under their new boss, and Diawara's side have not won any games in normal time in any competition under his guidance, with his two victories coming against Bourgoin-Jallieu and Angers in the Coupe de France coming on penalties.
The visitors are currently on a winless streak in the league that stands at 14 matches, and their form does not appear to be coming back any time soon.
The departures of both Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the winter transfer window did little to help a squad that were already struggling for form at the time, and the change in management has done little to improve the club's fortunes.
Having established themselves in Ligue 1 since their promotion in 2018, Reims finished ninth last season, and they certainly were not considered as a club that could possibly be facing relegation to Ligue 2.
However, with their loss of form, the reality of a relegation battle is very much creeping in, and the main target for the club will be surviving in the division, despite having a Coupe de France semi-final to look forward to against Cannes next month.
The visitors have secured two more points on their travels than at home this season, although their away record is still far from ideal, and if they were to win this weekend, it would be only their fourth away triumph of the campaign.
Scoring goals has been a major issue in recent weeks, with Diawara's men blanking in front of goal in their last five league matches, being outscored by 11 goals to none in the league since he took charge of the club.
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They come up against a Brest defence that have been generous to their opponents this season, as they have conceded 40 times in 25 league matches.
Unfortunately for the visitors, their defence has let in the same amount of goals as Brest, and they come up against an attack that have netted 12 more times this season than Diawara's men.
Eric Roy's side were the talk of Europe with their impressive form in the early stages of the Champions League this season, and eight wins in 11 matches between November 30 and January 26 in all competitions had the club dreaming of European football again next season.
However, a recent six-game winless streak in all competitions saw them crash out of both the Champions League and the Coupe de France after humiliating defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Dunkerque.
That streak was brought to an end last weekend, as the hosts won 2-0 against Angers, with goals from Abdallah Sima and Romain Faivre securing a needed win for Roy's side.
Brest are currently ninth in the standings, and they are six points behind Lyon, who are in the final European qualification position in sixth, so there is plenty of work to do if they are to qualify for Europe again this season.
They will fancy their chances up against the most out-of-form team in the division at present, and the hosts have only lost three times at home in Ligue 1 all season, so they will be confident of success this weekend.
Goals from Faivre and Mama Balde helped Les Pirates to success in the reverse fixture back in October, as Brest won 2-1 at Stade Auguste Delaune, and they will be hoping to complete a double against Reims with another victory on Sunday.
Team News
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The hosts have several injury concerns ahead of this match, as Bradley Locko (Achilles) and Ibrahim Salah (foot) have been ruled out for the game.
Elsewhere, Balde, who netted against Reims earlier in the season, is a doubt after missing last weekend's clash with Angers due to injury, while Romain Del Castillo (knee), Soumaila Coulibaly and last weekend's scorer Sima are all questionable to feature.
Meanwhile, the visitors also have several players ruled out of this game, as Reda Khadra and Mohammed Daramy are out for the season with knee injuries, while Jordan Pefok (hamstring) and Yaya Fofana are also not due back for the foreseeable future.
In further blows for the visitors, Alexandre Olliero (ankle) and Gabriel Moscardo are also doubts for this clash due to injuries.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Haidara, Le Cardinal, Chardonnet, Lala; Sima, Magnetti, Lees-Melou, Pereira Lage, Camara; Ajorque
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Akieme, Gbane, Okumu, Sekine; Patrick, Atangana, Ito, Teuma, Nakamura; Diakite
We say: Brest 2-0 Reims
Reims do not look as if they can win anywhere right now, and we think that their pain will continue here.
Brest's win against Angers last week was a sign of recovery following their recent blip, and they will welcome the visit of Reims this weekend, as their form has been very poor of late.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
