Reims vs Nantes prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-11-05 14:00.
Reims’ improved discipline continues to reap some rewards as they completed the previous Ligue 1 round with the third-longest undefeated span (W1, D4) of its 20 clubs courtesy of their 0-0 draw at Brest. They suffered the ignominy of being the first opponent in 16 Ligue 1 games to fail to score against the Brittany outfit, and as a result are just three points clear of the relegation zone going into the round as the World Cup break approaches.
After eight straight league matches with a player from either side being sent off, Reims’ supporters have now had back-to-back games to become accustomed to the otherwise unfamiliar situation of 22 players leaving the pitch at full-time! The deluge of red cards were about all the action they had witnessed throughout the month of October, where three of their four most recent Ligue 1 games finished 0-0. Caretaker manager Will Still took an optimistic approach to last weekend’s draw, declaring “we might have lost a month ago”.
Nantes would have almost been without a chance to win a trip to Reims a month ago, but have since recovered from a pair of heavy defeats in Monaco (L 4-1) and Rennes (L 3-0) to leave the relegation zone and move one point behind Reims. As the only remaining Ligue 1 club yet to convert an opening goal into a victory (D2, L1), there is still plenty of work to do to produce a complete performance.
Peering further back into this season may also provide an insight into how they’ll handle travelling to Greece and then to the north-east of the country in quick succession. Two of the three further times that Nantes have failed to score in league play since an opening round 0-0 draw at Angers immediately followed midweek Europa League defeats. Their decisive 2-0 win at Olympiacos during the week could therefore set a new trend.
Players to watch: Reims have taken points from Folarin Balogun’s last five goalscoring appearances (W2, D3), with the three most recent seeing him open the scoring, while Nantes' Ludovic Blas will be hoping to convert back-to-back UEFA goalscoring appearances into his second goal of the Ligue 1 season.
Hot streak: The pre-match favourite has not lost any of Reims’ last 11 Ligue 1 matches (W4, D7).