Having both lost back-to-back Ligue 1 matches, mid-table rivals Montpellier HSC and Reims meet at Stade de la Mosson on Sunday in search of their first victory for a month.
Before they convene by the Mediterranean, the teams - who played out an entertaining 3-3 draw earlier this season - respectively occupy 11th and 13th place in the standings.
Match preview
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Having been on course to at least match last season's eighth-place finish at the turn of the year, inconsistent form during 2022 has seen Montpellier slip to their current bottom-half position in the Ligue 1 table.
After their 2-0 defeat to Marseille last week - in which they already trailed by two goals before the 20th minute - the French champions of 2011-12 have lost eight times this calendar year, and no team has suffered more setbacks in the top flight during that period.
Jonas Omlin's late dismissal at Stade Velodrome, with the game already lost, took La Paillade's total of red cards received this season to nine - the most out of any Ligue 1 club - and such a lack of discipline has hardly helped their cause.
Nonetheless, with seven fixtures remaining, the side overseen by coach Olivier Dall'Oglio are still within five points of a top-half finish.
With their last home victory coming back in January, though, Montpellier are now seeking to rectify that trend and give their fans something to cheer about when Reims come to town on Sunday.
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The visitors will arrive at La Mosson having gone unbeaten in their last five meetings with Montpellier - keeping clean sheets in three of the last four - but, more recently, have picked up just one point from their last three Ligue 1 outings.
Following a goalless draw at home to Lyon just before the international break, Reims suffered a 1-0 defeat at Troyes due to conceding a stoppage-time goal, and they were once again left pointless despite a late rally last weekend.
Already three goals down to Rennes before the hour mark, second-half goals from Maxime Busi and Jens Cajuste may have taken the edge off what could have been a chastening defeat, but Les Rouges et Blancs have now won just two of their last eight games.
Having taken points off Monaco and Strasbourg during that time, though, Oscar Garcia's men have at least managed to consolidate a mid-table spot in the standings - still sitting nine points clear of the bottom three heading towards the run-in.
Reims have won only four times on the road this season, but facing a run of home fixtures that will see Lille, Marseille, Lens and Nice turn up at Stade Auguste-Delaune in the closing weeks of the campaign, they may well target a rare away success on Sunday.
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Team News
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First-choice goalkeeper Jonas Omlin was sent off in the dying moments last week and will therefore serve a suspension, so Dimitry Bertaud will deputise as Montpellier's last line of defence on Sunday.
Both Joris Chotard and Pedro Mendes are set to be absent due to injury, while full-back Mihailo Ristic continues to serve his five-match ban for dismissal against Bordeaux.
With eight goals this season, English striker Stephy Mavididi is the home side's joint-top scorer, alongside teenager Elye Wahi. The pair should feature in the first XI once again, though veteran forward Valere Germain is also in contention to start.
Meanwhile, Reims boss Oscar Garcia will have Azor Matusiwa back at his disposal following a one-match ban served last week, but Moroccan defender Yunis Abdelhamid is now suspended due to accumulated bookings.
Despite scoring from the spot against Rennes, Jens Cajuste may have to make way for Matusiwa in midfield, while either Nathanael Mbuku or Scottish striker Fraser Hornby should deputise for injured top scorer Hugo Ekitike up front.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Bertaud; Souquet, Esteve, Sakho, Cozza; Leroy, Ferri; Wahi, Savanier, Mollet; Mavididi
Reims possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Busi, Faes, Munetsi; Foket, Berisha, Lopy, Matusiwa, Konan; Van Bergen, Hornby
We say: Montpellier HSC 1-0 Reims
While Montpellier have fared well enough on home soil this term, Reims have been unable to make much of an impact on the road - winning just four of 16 away matches and scoring at a rate of less than one goal per game.
With little to divide them in terms of form or position in the Ligue 1 pecking order, that advantage could be the deciding factor which sees the home side end their winless run against Sunday's visitors.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
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 Montpellier HSC win with a probability of 45.05%. A win for Reims had a probability of 28.2% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Montpellier HSC win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.02%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.9%) and 2-0 (8.45%). The likeliest Reims win was 0-1 (9.01%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.66%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with an 8.6% likelihood.
