Reims vs Marseille prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-03-18 19:45.
Whilst remaining coy about links to his boyhood club West Ham, Reims coach Will Still’s enthusiasm for management gaming continues to play out in real life. A shock 1-0 triumph at Monaco last round ensured his men started this match week just four points adrift of a European berth, while additionally enjoying the club’s best 27-game tally in any Ligue 1 campaign this century.
It kept up the sort of momentum that could ultimately land Reims a first appearance in any European competition proper for 60 years. As well as representing their sixth straight Ligue 1 clean sheet, the Red and Whites’ recent success in the principality also added just a second win to the team’s league record as pre-match outsiders this term (W2, D9, L2). Those nine draws are unsurprisingly a league-high for any Ligue 1 club when starting as the underdogs this season.
Starting this weekend five points clear in the top-three, Marseille ran out comfortable 4-1 victors in August’s reverse fixture to go five H2Hs unbeaten, but they know this clash is a totally different proposition, especially with Still’s unsuccessful predecessor Ă“scar GarcĂa long gone. While they’ll be widely fancied to break Reims’ clean sheet streak, the fact that they dropped points from a 2-0 lead (at the 87th minute) against Strasbourg in the previous round cannot be overlooked.
Despite that disappointment, Marseille have still lost only twice in league action since the turn of the year (W7, D2), while there’s also the small matter of the Olympians’ winning streak of seven Ligue 1 road trips to consider. That itself includes four clean sheets, contributing significantly to a pre-round league-high 85% of their away Ligue 1 games seeing them draw first blood (W9, D2).
Key battle: Folarin Balogun remains Reims’ greatest threat, having got the recent winner against Monaco thanks to Alexis Flips’ assist. Visiting defender Chancel Mbemba will surely have a busy evening handling the hosts’ top gun, though he has been hot lately as well, scoring Marseille’s first goal twice in the past month, including the opener against Strasbourg.
Hot stat: Of Marseille’s eight Ligue 1 away match openers to arrive before half-time, none have come between the 16th and 30th minutes.