Reims vs Nantes prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-01-27 14:00.
Pushing for the European places in Ligue 1, Reims season continues to go from strength to strength and they could make another statement of intent with victory here against Nantes. A win would serve as their tenth of the season and it would be the quickest that Reims’ win column has hit double figures in a top-flight campaign (19 matches) since they picked up ten wins from 18 in 1974/75.
Will Still’s side ought to fancy their chances of doing so in what is their first home game of 2024, but after closing out 2023 with successive wins at Stade Auguste-Delaune II, the break is unlikely to have stunted their momentum. A further positive omen for Reims comes in Nantes’ lowly league position, as so far this season, Reims have won each of their five home league games against sides starting this round beneath them in the table.
That doesn’t make great reading for the Canaries, who travel bidding to end a four match losing league run. A 1-0 home defeat against Ligue 2 Stade Laval in the Coupe de France last weekend was another sign of just how far they’ve fallen, exiting the competition they’d reached the final of in the last two seasons to heap immense pressure onto boss Jocelyn Gourvennec.
Having lost six successive away games against Reims in Ligue 1 though, a pressure-relieving three points seems a world away for Gourvennec. The unwanted records may not necessarily stop there for Nantes either, as another defeat here would mark the first time since December 2004 that they have lost five top-flight games in a row – a fate they can ill-afford given their narrow two-point buffer to the drop zone ahead of the round.
Players to watch: With Reims’ last two home league scorers unavailable through international duty, Josh Wilson-Esbrand was the last available player to score in such a game back in October! On a similar note, Marcus Coco was the last available Nantes player to score an away league goal, with that also coming in October.
Hot stat: Reims have conceded a league-high five home league goals in the 15 minutes immediately following half-time this season.