On Sunday, Reims will face off with Lyon at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in a Ligue 1 clash.
Reims are sitting in 12th place in the points table, just two places below Lyon, who are in tenth. So can Lyon pick up a valuable win to climb up the table, or will Reims claim a big scalp in their campaign?
Reims vs Lyon Head-to-Head
Reims’ form has been patchy throughout the current season, but statistically at least, they are currently in the midst of their best run of the campaign.
They are now four games unbeaten. Reims are unbeaten in their last four league games, scoring five goals and conceding three. However, their generally toothless play remains a worry. They have scored just 32 goals thus far, the fewest in the top 13 in Ligue 1 this season.
Lyon, meanwhile, have seen their usually high standards slip this season. Currently in tenth place, they are eight points off the top four. They have already lost more games than they did last season.
Most recently, they were thumped 4-2 by high-flying Rennes in the league. They have won only two of their last six games across competitions. However, they reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals this week, thanks to a Round of 16 second leg draw with FC Porto.
The last time the two teams played, Reims pulled off an impressive 1-2 win – their first win over Lyon since 2018.
Reims form guide (all competitions): W-D-W-D-L.
Lyon form guide (all competitions): D-L-W-W-L.
Reims vs Lyon Team News
Reims
Reims have up to seven players likely to miss this game, including influential forward Hugo Ekitike.
Injured: Valon Berisha, Fode Doucoure.
Doubtful: Hugo Ekitike, Andreaw Gravillon, Jens Cajuste, El Bilal Toure.
Suspended: Anastasios Donis.
Unavailable: None.
Lyon
Two of Lyon’s players are sidelined with injuries, while veteran defender Jerome Boateng is a doubt.
Injured: Rayan Cherki, Sinaly Diomande.
Doubtful: Jerome Boateng.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Reims vs Lyon Predicted XIs
Reims (3-4-3): Predrag Rajkovic, Maxime Busi, Wout Faes, Yunis Abdelhamid, Alexis Flips, Azor Matusiwa, Marshall Munetsi, Ghislain Konan, Nathanael Mbuku, Ilan Kebbal, Arber Zeneli.
Lyon (4-2-3-1): Anthony Lopes, Leo Dubois, Thiago Mendes, Castello Lukeba, Emerson Palmieri, Maxence Caqueret, Tanguy Ndombele, Romain Faivre, Lucas Paqueta, Karl Toko Ekambi, Moussa Dembele.
$1,000 Risk-Free Bet at FanDuel SB
Reims vs Lyon Prediction
On paper, Lyon look like the far stronger side, but many things might stand between them and a win.
Firstly, Reims’ form has hit an uptick in recent weeks, and they should be full of confidence coming into this game. Secondly, Lyon may be exhausted from their midweek exploits in Europe. Overall, then, a draw seems like a likely result.
Prediction: Reims 1-1 Lyon.