Lorient vs Reims prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-10-14 15:00.
A 2-1 win in the Derby de Bretagne against Brest last weekend was the icing on the cake for Lorient, who are in the midst of their best-ever start to a top-flight campaign (W8, D1, L1), rounded off by six-successive wins. Manager Régis Le Bris refuses to get carried away though and remains cautious about their current second-place position, stating “the ranking is anecdotal with 28 games left to play”.
With such a strong start, the Merlus would appear to be on their way to a first European qualification since 2002 and are warm pre-match favourites here to claim a fifth-straight home win which would put them top of the table, at least until the “Classique” PSG vs Marseille on Sunday evening. Lorient have shown their ability to handle expectations so far, as they are the only Ligue 1 side to win 100% of their matches entered as the bookmakers’ pick since the beginning of the season (W3).
Visitors Reims can proudly boast that they are the first team of 2022/23 to shut out defending Ligue 1 champions PSG, holding them to a goalless draw last time out. Despite that improving performance, Reims are still enduring their worst ten-game start in Ligue 1 since 1978/79 (W1, D5, L4), form that saw coach Ă“scar GarcĂa subsequently fired on Thursday, with assistant coach William Still being placed in the hotseat on an interim basis for now.
An away game seemingly presents a real opportunity for the Red and Whites given they’ve claimed five of their eight league points on the road this season, while losing just two of their previous eight Ligue 1 road trips (W3, D3), which includes a 2-1 away win against Lorient back in May! If Reims are to replicate that feat, they will have to ensure their discipline remains in check after receiving a red card in three successive top-flight away games.
Players to watch: Lorient will hope Dango Ouattara can find the net, given he has led his team to victory in his previous five goal-scoring Ligue 1 matches. Aiming to upstage him, Folarin Balogun has scored in four of Reims’ five away matches this campaign.
Hot stat: Only a third (nine) of the 27 H2H -goals in Ligue 1 have been scored before the break.