As the race for Europe hots up, Reims and Lille lock horns at the Stade Auguste-Delaune for Saturday evening's Ligue 1 showdown.
Will Still's men suffered a third successive loss last time out, falling 1-0 to Clermont, while Les Dogues ran out convincing 3-0 winners over basement battlers Ajaccio.
Match preview
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Hitherto achieving cult hero status in France and beyond during his earliest days in charge of Reims, the powers of Still have since waned, and Clermont inflicted a third straight defeat on Les Rouges et Blancs at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied last weekend.
A fourth-minute tap-in from Grejohn Kyei was all that was needed to separate the two sides last weekend, as Reims failed to convert 67% possession and 13 shots into anything meaningful, falling further off the pace in the hunt for continental football as a result.
Having also gone down to Strasbourg and Rennes without finding the back of the net in recent weeks, Reims have slipped to 11th in the standings - 12 points behind upcoming opponents Lille in the final continental spot - but a top-half finish is still a realistic aim for Still's crop.
A paltry record of just one win from their last six games has done little to help Les Rouges et Blancs' top-10 ambitions, though, and they have taken just one point from their last three games at the Stade Auguste-Delaune - a 1-1 stalemate with relegation-threatened Brest.
Not since September 2020 have Reims suffered four successive defeats in the top flight, but with Folarin Balogun, among others, failing to fire right now, a rare joyful away day could be in store for Lille.
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Ajaccio born and bred, Remy Cabella sympathised with his hometown club after plunging them deeper into relegation danger with a stunning individual performance in last weekend's victory at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Having firstly provided a pair of assists for Andre Gomes, whose first effort was a peach of a strike from long range, Cabella put the cherry on the icing on the cake with 37 minutes gone to kill the game off before the half-time whistle sounded.
For the second time in the space of a few weeks, Lille boss Paulo Fonseca got the response he was looking for at home following a dissatisfactory away performance, as Lille - who previously drew 1-1 at Auxerre - cling onto the fifth and final European qualification spot.
Les Dogues, whose current standing would secure Europa Conference League football, have just a two-point gap to make up to Monaco in fourth place, but Rennes are knocking on the door and sit just three points behind Lille, who still have to face Les Monegasques and Marseille before the campaign draws to a close.
While Fonseca's men remain unbeatable in front of their own fans, having not lost at home since August, away day misfortune continues to bedevil them, as they have won just two of their last eight Ligue 1 contests on rival territory and were defeated 2-1 by Reims in this fixture last season, eight months before a 1-1 draw on Lille's patch.
Team News
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Reims defender Emmanuel Agbadou - who made a crucial goal-line clearance to keep the scoreline at 1-0 last weekend - must serve a suspension this weekend for an accumulation of yellow cards, so Cheick Keita ought to deputise alongside veteran skipper Yunis Abdelhamid.
Arber Zeneli missed the defeat to Clermont with an unexplained injury but is now back in the squad, while Mitchell Van Bergen is out for the season with a broken arm, joining Noah Holm and the ill Myziane Maolida on the sidelines.
Dion Lopy and Jens Cajuste are contenders to freshen up the midfield for the hosts, but Still should hold off on making significant alterations, as 18-goal Arsenal loanee Balogun aims to snap a three-match scoreless streak - he is yet to go four top-flight games without finding the back of the net this term.
Meanwhile, Lille continue to make do without ACL victim Tiago Djalo, while Adam Ounas and Gabriel Gudmundsson have also been ruled out with minor muscular issues.
Gudmundsson only lasted 53 minutes of the win over Ajaccio and is expected to cede his spot to Ismaily, while Jose Fonte should earn a recall over Yoro in the backline too.
Benjamin Andre was surprisingly left named on the bench last time out after returning from suspension, and the manner of their win over Ajaccio could see the midfielder kept in reserve once more as Edon Zhegrova continues out wide.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Foket, Keita, Abdelhamid, De Smet; Munetsi, Matusiwa; Ito, Zeneli, Flips; Balogun
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Diakite, Fonte, Alexsandro, Ismaily; Angel Gomes, Andre Gomes; Zhegrova, Cabella, Bamba; David
We say: Reims 1-2 Lille
Lille's inconsistency away from their headquarters should offer Reims a glimmer of hope for the weekend, but Still's side may only be able to celebrate one consolation goal over the course of the game.
The hosts' fortunes have well and truly taken a nosedive, and while they have little to play for at this point, a Lille crop still fighting for a spot on the continent should grind out all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
