Preview: Reims vs. Troyes - prediction, team news, lineups

Two of the teams near the foot of Ligue 1 will compete on Sunday when Reims host Troyes at the Stade Auguste Delaune with each club looking to secure their third victory of the season.

Both find themselves just above the relegation zone at the moment and are in a real need to get points on the board to push away from that.

Match preview

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Reims have had an inconsistent start to the campaign, with two victories, five draws and a trio of defeats, which is what has sunk them to 15th in the table.

They have been defensively strong throughout the season so far, keeping three clean sheets already, while offensively they have managed to cause plenty of problems as well.

However, their inability to turn some of the draws into wins has stopped them from progressing up the division, which is why they find themselves sitting in 15th place, just five points above the relegation zone.

Oscar Garcia's team head into this one on the back of a draw against Brest, despite Wout Faes giving them the perfect start with a 12th-minute goal.

That ended up being cancelled out when Franck Honorat scored an equaliser, once again highlighting the issue of not being able to hang onto a lead.

On the other hand, Troyes were victorious during their most recent outing as they defeated Nice to pick up only their second win of the season, which helped to push them away from the relegation zone.

Mama Balde gave his team the perfect start to the fixture by scoring in the fourth minute of the game, and the squad were able to hang on to see the result out.

It was an important victory for the club as they sit just three points above the relegation zone, meaning a defeat in this particular fixture could sink them into that spot.

After earning a promotion last season, the main task for Troyes in this campaign is to simply maintain their status in Ligue 1, and this could be a fixture that helps them to do just that.

Team News

Reims will continue to be without Hugo Ekitike, who is serving the last of his two-game suspension on Sunday, which should lead to El Bilal Toure retaining his place upfront.

Arber Zeneli is a long-term injury issue that the club is having to deal with, but there could be a return for Valon Berisha and Mathieu Cafaro in this game.

Troyes will be able to welcome back Gerson Rodrigues into the team at the weekend after he has served his two-game suspension following the red card he received against Angers.

Adil Rami could also be in contention to play in the starting XI at the weekend after he made his return from injury in the recent victory, featuring from the bench.

However, Karim Azamoum is set to still be missing as has been the case since September when the midfielder picked up his injury.

Reims possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Abdelhamid, Faes, Gravillon; Flips, Lopy, Konan, Matusiwa, Kebbal; Toure, Mbuku

Troyes possible starting lineup:
Gallon; El Hajjam, Girauodon, Salmier; Biancone, Kouame, Chavalerin, Kone; Ripart, Balde, Touzghar

We say: Reims 1-1 Troyes

Both teams have been inconsistent so far this season, meaning it is hard to predict exactly which version of each squad is going to turn up on the day.

However, this is an important fixture for each of them, and that could provide some intensity and caution, which might result in a draw taking place.

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