Reims having nothing to play for this week could play to Marseille's advantage in Wednesday's rescheduled gameweek 32 Ligue 1 match at Stade Auguste Delaune.
The Red and Whites played out a draw in their first game of the post-Will Still era against Brest, and they seek another positive result against a side battling to move into a top-six position.
Match preview
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A 1-1 draw against Champions League-chasing Brest somewhat dismissed suggestions that Reims' season will peter out after Still's departure.
Lens and Lyon (both on 50 points) will hope for another strong showing under caretaker boss Samba Diawara, with Marseille only three points adrift of both with a superior goal difference.
A point at Brest may have extended the Red and Whites' winless run to six Ligue 1 matches, but it halted the club's three-match losing run heading into the rescheduled fixture and the 11th-placed club's penultimate home game.
Reims' home form in the final months of Still's tenure tailed off, with supporters witnessing one win in seven before the previous manager's departure, but they demand an improvement to end the season positively.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if a side that has failed to score in three of their seven matches as hosts in 2024 show something different against Marseille.
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The away side initially had this match postponed to give them ample time to prepare for their Europa League semi-final second-leg against Atalanta BC, but Jean-Louis Gasset's men were thrashed 3-0 in Bergamo to exit the competition.
Les Olympiens responded with a 3-1 win over second-bottom Lorient to place them three points shy of sixth-placed Lens, who could only draw against Rennes in gameweek 33.
Given Marseille's superior goal difference (11) compared to Lyon (-7) and Lens (8), success on Wednesday takes them into sixth in the league, even if all three sides will have 50 points heading into the campaign's final round of games.
To achieve that, Gasset's men must improve on a pitiful road return that has seen them win just one of seven league matches on their travels (four defeats), with their only victory in that period a 5-1 triumph over relegated Clermont.
With Marseille's final two games of the season both on the road, Wednesday presents the Phocaens with the opportunity to end their underwhelming return away from the Velodrome.
Team News
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Reims welcome Thibault De Smet from suspension after the defender's dismissal against Clermont, even if he may not be reinstated into the lineup following his one-game ban.
Valentin Atangana Edoa (thigh), Mohamed Daramy (knee) Maxime Busi (muscle) and Joseph Okumu (ankle) are all missing through injury.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang notched a brace in the win over Lorient, taking him to 16 Ligue 1 goals for Marseille this term, and the forward seeks to add to that tally in midweek.
Valentin Rongier (knee) has not played since November 2023, and the midfield man is not expected to feature again this season.
Bilal Nadir's cruciate ligament tear should keep him out, but Gasset had Bamo Meite (ankle) back for a 19-minute cameo against Lorient after several weeks out.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Foket, Agbadou, Abdelhamid, Akieme; Muntesi, Richardson, Teuma; Nakamura, Diakite, Ito
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Mbemba, Gigot, Balerdi; Clauss, Kondogbia, Veretout, Merlin; Ndiaye, Harit; Aubameyang
We say: Reims 1-2 Marseille
Wednesday's game is close to call given Reims' recent home record and Marseille's underwhelming results on the road. However, Les Olympiens' motivation to end sixth and the hosts having little riding on the game mean Gasset's men are backed to edge the rescheduled clash.
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