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This Sunday sees Reims face off with Montpellier in a Ligue 1 clash at the Stade Auguste-Delaune II.
Neither Reims nor Montpellier have started 2021-22 all that well, with Reims drawing 0-0 with Nice and Montpellier falling to a 2-3 home defeat at the hands of Marseille.
So with both sides working under new managers this season, which side will come out on top?
Reims had a solid start to the 2020-21 campaign. But their form fell off a cliff towards the end of the season when former boss David Guion announced that he’d be departing the club in the summer.
Guion was replaced by Oscar Garcia, but the new boss has lost last season’s top scorer Boulaye Dia to Spanish side Villarreal.
And judging by their match against Nice, fans were right to worry about where the goals might come from. Reims had five shots in that game, but failed to get one on target.
Montpellier also changed their manager in the summer, with Michel der Zakarian departing to be replaced by former Brest boss Olivier Dall’Oglio.
The new boss seems to have continued where der Zakarian left off, though. Montpellier looked good in attack but questionable at the back in their loss to Marseille, where they threw away a 2-0 lead to lose 2-3.
Reims vs Montpellier Head-to-Head
In terms of historical results, Montpellier’s record against Reims is a poor one. They’ve lost four of their last six meetings, and haven’t beaten Reims since September 2018.
The two sides met in February this year in the league where spoils were shared by them without getting on the scoresheet.
Reims form guide (competitive games only): D-L-L-L-D
Montpellier form guide (competitive games only): L-W-D-W-L
Reims vs Montpellier Team News
Reims
Reims are missing three players for this game, with midfielders Fraser Hornby, Arber Zeneli and forward Anastasios Donis all ruled out.
Injured: Fraser Hornby, Anastasios Donis, Arber Zeneli
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Montpellier
Montpellier are also missing three players for this match. Jonas Omlin, Pedro Mendes and Ambroise Oyongo are all on the shelf with injuries.
Injured: Jonas Omlin, Pedro Mendes, Ambroise Oyongo
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Reims vs Montpellier Predicted XI
Reims predicted XI (5-3-2): Predrag Rajkovic, Thomas Foket, Andreaw Gravillon, Wout Faes, Yunis Abdelhamid, Ghislain Konan, Valon Berisha, Marshall Munetsi, Xavier Chavalerin, Nathanael Mbuku, Kaj Sierhuis
Montpellier predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Dimitry Bertaud, Junior Sambia, Thuler, Mamadou Sakho, Nicolas Cozza, Jordan Ferri, Mihailo Ristic, Gaetan Laborde, Teji Savanier, Stephy Mavididi, Andy Delort
Reims vs Montpellier Prediction
With Montpellier’s all-attacking style, it’s highly unlikely that this game will end 0-0 as Reims’ match with Nice did last weekend.
This game is still likely to be a tight affair, and the difference could be Reims’ lack of firepower despite their stronger defense. Therefore, an away win may be the most likely outcome.
Prediction: Reims 1-2 Montpellier
