Reims vs Nice prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-01-14 14:00.
Will Still believes Reims took âyet another positive stepâ as they beat Ajaccio 1-0 on Wednesday night to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions (W5, D6). It has been a remarkable rise for not only the Red and Whites, who have moved comfortably into mid-table in Ligue 1, but also their head coach, who learned about the game on Football Manager and is the youngest boss in Europeâs major leagues at the age of just 30.
The form since Still took the hot seat, initially as caretaker in October, means Reims are dreaming of European qualification for only the sixth time in their history, though there is still a sizeable gap to Ligue 1âs top five, largely due to their joint league high nine draws after matchday 18. Any result other than a stalemate may be unlikely against opponents Nice as well, given four of the last six meetings between the two teams have ended all-square, three of which were goalless!
Level on points with their hosts, the Eaglets are another team in transition following the sacking of Lucien Favre earlier this week after a four game winless run (D2, L2), and they will hope a change in the dugout has a similar effect to that of Reims. Club hero and âBâ team coach Didier Digard has been placed in interim charge and he certainly enjoyed his managerial debut, guiding Nice to their biggest top flight win since 2014 with a 6-1 demolition of Montpellier on Wednesday.
Digard described the win as âunrealisticâ as he tries to dampen expectations of a similar goal-glut in this game. He will be hoping to get a similar tune from his players though as they attempt to improve upon a run of just two wins from nine in all competitions on the road (D4, L3), with each of those draws coming despite scoring the first goal.
Key battle: Reims captain and defender Yunis Abdelhamid has kept a clean sheet in half of his ten appearances against Nice, despite winning just twice (D5, L3). He will be looking to keep a lid on Nicolas PĂ©pĂ©, the Eagletsâ top marksman with eight strikes this season, with six of his seven goalscoring appearances seeing him net the first or last of the game.
Hot stat: Niceâs Ligue 1 matches are averaging 2.33 goals per game this season – the joint lowest in the division.