Ligue 1 | Gameweek 22

Feb 16, 2025 at 4.15pm UK

Stade Auguste-Delaune II

Reims vs Angers

Match preview

Reims' campaign has taken a turn for the worse, with Les Rouges et Blancs suffering their longest Ligue 1 drought since October 2012 to February 2013, when they went 15 games without a win.

The Red and Whites' last taste of victory dates back to 10 November, when they won 3-0 away at Le Havre.

Since then, they have drawn just five and lost the other five, with Luka Elsner in charge of nine of those games before being sacked following a home defeat to Nantes - his departure paving the way for Samba Diawara to step in as caretaker coach.

Diawara's appointment did little to halt the slump as Reims were thrashed 4-0 by Lyon last weekend in his first top-flight outing, a result that left the Red and Whites 14th in the standings on 22 points and a fourth away defeat.

With 12 points from 10 away games, it would be easy to attribute Les Rouges et Blancs' struggles to their form away from home, but their record at the Auguste-Delaune tells a different story.

The Red and Whites have been just as poor on their home turf, going winless in their last seven such encounters and picking up a meagre 10 points from a possible 33, leaving Diawara's men with the second-worst home record in the division.

Angers, on the other hand, will see this as an ideal opportunity to take revenge on the hosts, who beat them 3-1 in the reverse fixture last September.

Should they do so, they will become the first newly-promoted side in recent memory to avoid defeat on a top-flight trip to Reims, with the home side having won each of the last six such meetings.

However, the Black and Whites themselves are not in the best of form, having gone three league games without a win, suffering two defeats and a draw - their most recent setback coming in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Marseille.

This is a dip in form for Angers, who had won six of their previous ten games, and their current slump leaves them 13th in the table on 23 points, just one above their hosts.

Nevertheless, Les Scoistes can be proud of their improvement from last season, having already collected five more points than they did in 2022-23, when they finished bottom of the table.

Recent Performance

Reims Ligue 1 form:LLDDLL

Reims form (all competitions):WDDLWL

Angers Ligue 1 form:WWWLDL

Angers form (all competitions):WWLDWL

Team News

Zabi Gueu will be unavailable this weekend as he serves a suspension following his red card in the previous game.

The 18-year-old midfielder joins a growing list of absentees, including Amadou Kone, Yaya Fofana, Reda Khadra, Mohamed Daramy and Jordan Siebatcheu, who remain sidelined through injury, while Gabriel Moscardo is away representing his country at the Under-20 World Cup.

With no new injury concerns reported in the latest squad updates, long-term absentees Carlens Arcus, Sidiki Cherif, Bamba Dieng and Cedric Houtondji are the only players expected to be unavailable for the weekend.

As a result, Alexandre Dujeux could retain his starting line-up from the defeat to Marseille, although he will be hoping for a stronger performance this time around, with Esteban Lepaul expected to lead the line as he looks to end a three-game goal drought.

Possible starting lineup

Reims possible starting lineup:

Diouf; Akieme, Kipre, Okumu, Buta; Edoa, Patrick; Ito, Teuma, Nakamura; Diakite

Angers possible starting lineup:

Fofana; Raolisoa, Biumla, Lefort, Hanin; Aholou, Belkebla; Allevinah, Abdelli, Melali; Lepaul