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Saturday sees Monaco face off against Reims in a Ligue 1 clash at the Stade Louis II.
Monaco currently sit in 6th place in the league table, while Reims are somewhat lower in the 14th position.
So can Philippe Clement’s side come out on top this weekend, or will Reims pick up a huge win?
After a tricky start to their campaign, Monaco’s form has improved somewhat in recent weeks, largely since new boss Philippe Clement took over at the turn of the year.
Although Monaco have only won two of their six games under the Belgian, they have also fallen to defeat just once, losing 3-2 to Montpellier in late January.
Both of their most recent league matches have ended in draws – with Lorient and Bordeaux respectively. However, they do stand a chance of claiming some silverware this season, as they face Nantes in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France next week. (2 March)
Reims, meanwhile, have been struggling for any kind of traction recently, with a major slide in form dating back to mid-December.
Since their 2-0 win over Saint-Etienne on 11 December, they have won just once – a 5-0 win over Bordeaux – and have lost three games during that time too.
Most recently, Oscar Garcia’s men picked up a 1-1 draw with Brest, with defender Wout Faes scoring in just the fourth minute.
Monaco vs Reims Head-to-Head
There have been 18 matches played between the two sides till date. Both teams have won five each while eight games have ended in a draw.
The most recent meeting between these sides took place in November and ended 0-0, and worryingly for Reims, they have not beaten Monaco since November 2018.
Monaco form guide: D-D-W-W-W
Reims form guide: D-L-W-L-L
Monaco vs Reims Team News
Monaco
Monaco will be without Aurelien Tchouameni for this game since he is suspended, while three other players are likely to miss out with injuries. Cesc Fabregas is a doubt after he missed the last match due to illness.
Injured: Krepin Diatta, Benoit Badiashile, Myron Boadu
Suspended: Aurelien Tchouameni
Reims
Reims have a horrendous number of injuries to deal with leading into this game, with no fewer than ten players likely to miss out. Yunis Abdelhamid, meanwhile, is suspended.
Injured: Hugo Ekitike, Ghislain Konan, Moreto Cassama, Arber Zeneli
Doubtful: Thomas Foket, El Bilal Toure, Jens Cajuste, Andreaw Gravillon, Moussa Doumbia, Valon Berisha, Dion Lopy
Suspended: Yunis Abdelhamid
Monaco vs Reims Predicted XI
Monaco predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Alexander Nubel; Djibril Sidibe, Axel Disasi, Guillermo Maripan, Caio Henrique; Youssouf Fofana; Vanderson, Jean Lucas, Kevin Volland, Gelson Martins; Wissam Ben Yedder
Reims predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Predrag Rajkovic; Maxime Busi, Marshall Munetsi, Wout Faes, Bradley Locko; Azor Matusiwa, Martin Adeline; Nathanael Mbuku, Ilan Kebbal, Alexis Flips; Mitchell Van Bergen
Monaco vs Reims Prediction
This should be a decent game to watch, but given the amount of injuries that Reims have to deal with, Monaco should be the favorites.
They will be without key midfielder Tchouameni, but their firepower should still be enough to get them past their visitors here, particularly as Reims have not been on their best form recently.
The prediction is a home win.
Prediction: Monaco 2-0 Reims
