Ligue 1 | Gameweek 26

Mar 16, 2025 at 4.15pm UK

Stade Francis-Le Ble

Brest vs Reims

Match preview

Reims are currently in the midst of a poor run of form and have not won in Ligue 1 since a 3-0 win over fellow strugglers Le Havre on 10 November.

After a strong start to the season under Luka Elsner, in which the club won four of their opening seven Ligue 1 games, things seemed to be going well for the Slovenian coach, who joined the club from Le Havre last summer.

However, a nine-game winless streak in the league between November and February prompted Reims to make a change at the helm, with Diawara appointed on a permanent basis last month.

Reims have lost all their league games under their new boss and Diawara's side have failed to win a game in normal time in any competition under his stewardship, with their two Coupe de France victories over Bourgoin-Jallieu and Angers coming on penalties.

The visitors are currently on a 14-game winless streak in the league and their form does not appear to be returning any time soon.

The departures of Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the winter transfer window did little to help a side already struggling for form, and a change of management has done little to improve their fortunes.

Having established themselves in Ligue 1 since their promotion in 2018, Reims finished ninth last season and were certainly not considered a club that could potentially face relegation to Ligue 2.

However, with their loss of form, the reality of a relegation battle is creeping in and the club's main objective will be to survive in the division, although they do have a Coupe de France semi-final against Cannes to look forward to next month.

The visitors have taken two more points away than at home this season, although their away record is still far from ideal, and a win this weekend would be just their fourth away win of the campaign.

Goalscoring has been a major problem in recent weeks, with Diawara's men failing to find the net in their last five league games and conceding 11 goals in the league since he took charge.

They will be up against a Brest defence that has been generous to opponents this season, conceding 40 times in 25 league games.

Unfortunately for the visitors, their defence has conceded as many goals as Brest and they will face an attack that has netted 12 times more than Diawara's men this season.

Eric Roy's side were the talk of Europe with their impressive form in the early stages of this season's Champions League, and eight wins in 11 games between 30 November and 26 January in all competitions had the club dreaming of European football again next season.

However, a recent six-match winless streak in all competitions saw them crash out of both the Champions League and the Coupe de France after humiliating defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Dunkerque.

That run came to an end last weekend when the hosts beat Angers 2-0, with goals from Abdallah Sima and Romain Faivre giving Roy's side a much-needed win.

Brest currently sit in ninth place in the standings, six points behind Lyon, who occupy the final European qualifying spot in sixth, so they have their work cut out if they are to qualify for Europe again this season.

They will be relishing their chances against the most out-of-form team in the division at the moment, and the hosts have only lost three times at home in Ligue 1 this season, so they will be confident of success this weekend.

Goals from Faivre and Mama Balde helped Les Pirates to a 2-1 win at the Stade Auguste Delaune in the reverse fixture in October, and they will be hoping to complete the double against Reims with another win on Sunday.

Recent Performance

Brest Ligue 1 form:LWDDLW

Brest form (all competitions):DLDLLW

Reims Ligue 1 form:LLLLLL

Reims form (all competitions):LLLWLL

Team News

The hosts have a number of injury concerns going into the game, with Bradley Locko (Achilles) and Ibrahim Salah (foot) ruled out.

Elsewhere, Balde, who scored against Reims earlier in the season, is a doubt after missing last weekend's clash with Angers through injury, while Romain Del Castillo (knee), Soumaila Coulibaly and last weekend's goalscorer Sima are all doubts.

Meanwhile, the visitors will also be without a number of players as Reda Khadra and Mohammed Daramy are out for the season with knee injuries, while Jordan Pefok (hamstring) and Yaya Fofana are also unlikely to return for the foreseeable future.

In a further blow to the visitors, Alexandre Olliero (ankle) and Gabriel Moscardo are also doubtful for the game due to injury.

Possible starting lineup

Brest possible starting lineup:

Bizot; Haidara, Le Cardinal, Chardonnet, Lala; Sima, Magnetti, Lees-Melou, Pereira Lage, Camara; Ajorque

Reims possible starting lineup:

Diouf; Akieme, Gbane, Okumu, Sekine; Patrick, Atangana, Ito, Teuma, Nakamura; Diakite