Reims will endeavour to march on to the Coupe de France quarter-finals when they welcome Bastia to the Stade Auguste-Delaune for their last-16 battle on Saturday.
The hosts head into this encounter having just been humbled 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain, while their Ligue 2 opponents drew 0-0 with Toulouse at the weekend.
Match preview
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Reims were never expected to go toe-to-toe with runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes last weekend, and despite their impressive defensive record away from home, Oscar Garcia's side were no match for the capital outfit.
A trio of unlikely goalscorers in Marco Verratti, Sergio Ramos and Danilo Pereira contributed to PSG's crushing 4-0 win on the day - with one of Verratti's efforts going down as an own goal by Wout Faes - which means that Reims are still waiting for their first win and first goal of 2022.
Les Rouges et Blancs have now failed to score in three successive top-flight games, although they remain comfortably clear of the relegation zone for the time being, so Garcia's crop can afford to take their mind off top-flight action for an unlikely shot at Coupe de France glory.
Reims have secured a pair of 1-0 wins over Reims Sainte-Anne and Thaon to advance to the last-16, which marks their best run in the tournament since being knocked out in the quarter-finals by Nice in 2011, but not since 1958 have this week's hosts lifted the prestigious trophy.
Les Rouges et Blancs can also take confidence from the fact that they have scored at least two goals in each of their last three Coupe de France encounters at home, and Bastia did not exactly display a clinical edge of their own last weekend.
Bastia may feel that they have bigger fish to fry as they battle to drag themselves away from the drop zone in Ligue 2, but a cup quarter-final appearance would certainly act as a catalyst for Regis Brouard's side to build on for the rest of the season.
I Lioni di Furiani impressively managed to hold Toulouse to a goalless stalemate in the second tier at the weekend - with the encounter marred by a sending off for both teams in the closing stages - and it is now just one win in their last six Ligue 2 games for Bastia.
However, Bastia have already marched to four successive victories in the Coupe de France this term and have recent experience in getting one over Ligue 1 sides, seeing off Clermont 2-0 to book their spot in the last-16 earlier this month.
This week's visitors have not advanced past this stage of the tournament since finishing as runners-up to Lorient in the 2001-02 edition, but they did do the double over Reims when they last locked horns with Les Rouges et Blancs in the 2015-16 Ligue 1 season.
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Team News
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Reims will soon welcome their Africa Cup of Nations representatives back to the fold, with Ghislain Konan (Ivory Coast), El Bilal Toure and Moussa Doumbia (both Mali) being eliminated with their respective nations.
Valon Berisha, Marshall Munetsi and Arber Zeneli remain in the treatment room, though, and an accumulation of bookings has ruled Banzouzi Locko out of contention as well.
Alexis Flips and Ilan Kebbal can feel hopeful of recalls as Garcia works around Locko's suspension, while Guinea-Bissau's Moreto Cassama may now be fit enough to return to the first XI.
As for Bastia, Kylian Kaiboue has incurred a one-match ban following his sending off against Toulouse, so recent arrival Julian Boyer could be drafted into the team to cover on the left.
Midfielder Maguette Diongue remains out for the long-term with his cruciate ligament rupture, while Thomas Vincensini will not require surgery on his shoulder injury but is still absent.
Gabon's Lloyd Palun is back from AFCON duty with Gabon and ready to resume his duties on the right, as Kevin Schur prepares to make way.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Foket, Faes, Abdelhamid, Gravillon, Busi; Flips, Cassama, Cajuste, Mbuku; Ekitike
Bastia possible starting lineup:
Placide; Sainati, Bocognano, Guidi; Palun, Sylla, Vincent, Salles-Lamonge, Boyer; Santelli, Saidi
We say: Reims 2-0 Bastia
Reims' rearguard may have been breached at will by PSG last weekend, but the hosts have otherwise proved a tough nut to crack and possess youthful talent in abundance up top.
Even the most ardent of Bastia supporters cannot expect their side to produce the shock of all shocks by going all the way in the tournament, and the Ligue 2 strugglers will likely come up short here.
Top tip
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 Reims win with a probability of 39.55%. A win for Bastia had a probability of 33.46% and a draw had a probability of 27%.
The most likely scoreline for a Reims win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.84%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.39%) and 2-0 (7.1%). The likeliest Bastia win was 0-1 (9.78%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.81%).
