Reims and Auxerre will both be hoping to avoid falling into Ligue 1's relegation places when they face each other on Sunday.
Both teams are one point clear of the bottom four positions heading into the weekend's action, meaning defeat would likely see them usurped.
Match preview
© Reuters
Reims' 0-0 draw away to Lorient last weekend extended their winless run to six matches, although given that their last two matches have seen them claim a point apiece against the current top two teams in Ligue 1, caretaker boss William Still will feel content enough overall.
Indeed, after impressively holding Paris Saint-Germain to a 0-0 draw in their previous match, Les Rouges et Blancs showed tremendous courage to gain a point away to in-form Lorient having lost Dion Lopy to a red card in the 46th minute.
Emmanuel Agbadou's injury-time dismissal left the visitors with only nine men on the pitch, but Lorient could not find the breakthrough as Reims somehow had more possession throughout the course of the match.
Still, who was Oscar Garcia's assistant manager prior to the Spaniard's sacking last week, will be demanding more discipline from his players in a crucial match against fellow strugglers Auxerre on Sunday.
© Reuters
Having been promoted via Ligue 2's playoffs last season, Auxerre would likely have taken being outside of the relegation places after 11 games of the season, especially with Ligue 1 having an extra relegation spot this season as the division begins reducing its overall number of teams to 18 by 2024.
However, last weekend's 1-1 draw at home against Nice extended the club's winless run to seven matches, making it somewhat unsurprising that the board are on the verge of replacing Jean-Marc Furlan with Christope Pelissier in the managerial dugout.
Pelissier has a track record of keeping unfancied teams in the division having done so with Lorient for three seasons before leaving them during the summer, but the 57-year-old will be aware that doing so with Auxerre represents an even greater challenge.
It remains to be seen whether the former Amiens boss will be in charge in time for Sunday's trip to Reims, but his new set of players are likely to be more motivated than usual either way as they look to end their search for a victory.
Team News
Reims will be without Lopy and Agbadou due to suspension after the duo were both sent off against Lorient last time out, with Kamory Doumbia and Thibault De Smet representing potential options to replace them.
Still's squad appears to be at its bare bones, with Florent Duparchy, Thomas Foket, Kaj Sierhuis, Maxime Busi, Jens Cajuste and Rafik Guitane all injury doubts for Sunday's fixture.
Auxerre, meanwhile, will travel without Theo Pellenard, Brayann Pereira, Youssuf M'Changama and Gaetan Charbonnier due to injury.
The visitors' expected new manager Pelissier is likely to be naming the starting XI whether he is present in the away dugout or not, and he may look to keep things simple by naming the same team which claimed a creditable draw against Nice last time out.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; De Smelt, Gravillon, Abdelhamid; Flips, Munetsi, Matusiwa, Doumbia, Locko; Balogun, Zeneli
Auxerre possible starting lineup:
Costil; Joly, Jubal, Jeanvier, Bernard; Toure, Raveloson; Sinayoko, Autret, Sakhi; Da Costa
We say: Reims 1-1 Auxerre
Both teams head into this fixture on a long winless run of matches, and we can envisage both continuing after a share of the spoils on Sunday.
A draw may be enough to keep both sides out of the relegation places depending on results elsewhere, with the fear of defeat likely to outweigh the pursuit of victory should the match be heading in that direction.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
