Relegation-threatened Nantes aim to end their 47-year wait for a win at Reims when both sides meet in Sunday's Ligue 1 clash at Stade Auguste-Delaune II.
The hosts have played out consecutive top-flight draws before this weekend's gameweek 20 contest, while the Canaries, winless since December 8, are on a run of four straight ties in the competition.
Match preview
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Supporters of Reims will be conflicted heading into Sunday's meeting with a side they typically fare well against, highlighted by claiming seven victories in the past nine match-ups with the Canaries.
Since the turn of the century, Les Rouges et Blancs have hosted this weekend's opponents eight times, claiming six wins and avoiding losing in the other two, thus remaining undefeated on home turf against Nantes since a 4-1 loss in December 1978.
While that statistic ideally should fill Luka Elsner's men with much-needed confidence heading into round 20, the Red and Whites' eight-match run without a league triumph lessens any optimism felt in Marne.
Since defeating Le Havre 3-0 on November 10, Reims have played out five draws and lost three top-flight match-ups, though they have recovered from consecutive defeats to start the year against Saint-Etienne (3-1) and Nice (4-2) by securing two draws in succession against Le Havre and Paris Saint-Germain, the latter especially commendable as Elsner's troops fell behind in the capital.
On their longest Ligue 1 sequence without winning in four years, when they went 12 matches without maximum points from April to August 2021, Reims hope that their historical edge over Nantes counts for something when Antoine Kombouare's men visit Marne.
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Les Canaris, on the back of four successive draws, will be wary of leaving Reims empty-handed given that their opponents' five Ligue 1 victories this term have been against sides currently below the 12th-placed hosts this term, including a 2-1 loss for Nantes in the reverse fixture.
Nantes may sit above Reims for points accrued in 2025, but the relegation-threatened club are one point above Rennes in the playoff place and three clear of second-bottom Montpellier HSC, though Kombouare's side are unlikely to slip into the bottom two this weekend due to a superior goal difference.
Nevertheless, the Canaries need maximum points, not stalemates, to create some separation in the battle for survival to record their first top-flight success since beating Rennes 1-0 in December.
However, the Yellow House's away record, which has witnessed one victory on their travels in 10 attempts — a 3-1 win at Montpellier in late August — highlights La Maison Jaune's challenges away from Stade de la Beaujoire.
While the precedent is against the 14th-placed visitors, success over the side two places and four points above them undoubtedly draws Reims into the battle for survival, effectively featuring every club from 11th downwards.
Team News
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Although Joseph Okumu, Mohamed Daramy and Yaya Fofana are nearing returns from injury, Amadou Kone and Reda Khadra are still absent for Reims.
Keito Nakamura netted the leveller at PSG last weekend, taking the Japanese to eight Ligue 1 strikes this term, and the 24-year-old aims to be decisive this weekend.
Despite scoring three fewer goals than Nakamura, Moses Simon has notched three match-winning goals for Nantes this term; only PSG's Bradley Barcola (five), Toulouse's Zakaria Aboukhlal and Brest's Ludovic Ajorque (four each) have outdone the Nigerian forward.
After scoring in consecutive Ligue 1 draws against Lille (1-1) and Monaco (2-2), Matthis Abline has fired blanks in 1-1 ties with Saint-Etienne and Lyon, leaving the forward tied with teammate Simon on five goals heading into Sunday.
Kombouare could be without Tino Kadewere, Douglas Augusto and Nathan Zeze due to injury, with Zeze not expected back until April after an ankle break.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Buta, Kipre, Edoa, Akieme; Patrick, Munetsi; Ito, Teuma, Diakhon; Nakamura
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Amian, Sow, Pallois, Cozza; Chirivella, Castelletto, Lepenant; Guirassy, Abline, Simon
We say: Reims 2-1 Nantes
Despite Reims' winless league run entering its third month, the home side's competence against teams beneath them this season and the historical precedent against Nantes mean we back Elsner's men to record a sixth top-flight triumph this term on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
