Preview: Montpellier HSC vs. Reims - prediction, team news, lineups

Thanks to last weekend's 4-1 thrashing of Lyon, La Paillade sit on four points after two matches, while Reims have three points following a 2-0 victory over Clermont last time out.

Match preview

Montpellier found themselves 2-1 up against Le Havre on the opening weekend thanks to a second-half brace from Akor Adams, but the Ligue 1 newcomers snatched a point late on as Samuel Grandsir scored a 90th-minute equaliser.

However, La Paillade made amends for that slip-up last time out, notching an impressive 4-1 victory over Lyon, despite seeing just 36% of the ball at Groupama Stadium.

Michel Der Zakarian's side raced into a 3-0 lead last weekend, with Musa Al-Taamari bagging a brace after Arnaud Nordin's opener, while Adams completed the scoring with his third goal of the season following a goal and a red card for Lyon captain Alexandre Lacazette.

Consequently, only table-topping Monaco have scored more goals than Montpellier this season, with Adams netting 50% of MHSC's goals following his move from Norwegian club Lillestrom.

It is also worth remembering that Montpellier enjoyed a strong end to the previous campaign, losing just two of their final seven matches while claiming victories over Rennes, Monaco, Nantes and Reims, who visit the Stade de la Mosson on Sunday.

Reims enter Sunday's clash on the back of a 2-0 win against Clermont, with Marshall Munetsi and Mohamed Daramy grabbing the goals for Will Still's side in a relatively comfortable victory on home soil.

Although the visitors registered more shots than the hosts, Reims remained in control for much of the contest and could have scored more goals, as new signing Oumar Diakite failed to open his account following his move from Red Bull Salzburg.

On top of that, Reims can count themselves unfortunate to have lost on the opening weekend after dominating large spells of their clash with Marseille, but they failed to build on Junya Ito's 10th-minute opener before conceding twice.

After Still replaced Oscar Garcia in the Stade Auguste-Delaune dugout last season, the Red and Whites enjoyed a remarkable 19-game unbeaten streak between October and March, although they finished the campaign on a sour note, losing seven of their final 11 matches.

Of course, the 30-year-old manager is still learning on the job, but he will back himself to establish a sense of consistency and transform Reims into a feared Ligue 1 team.

Montpellier HSC Ligue 1 form:

Montpellier HSC form (all competitions):

Reims Ligue 1 form:

Reims form (all competitions):

Advert - content below:

Team News

Montpellier defender Theo Sainte-Luce will miss Sunday's clash as he continues to recover from a pre-season injury, although the 24-year-old remains La Paillade's sole injury absentee.

As a result, Der Zakarian will likely field the same XI that started the thrashing of Lyon last weekend, with Mousa Al-Tamari, Teji Savanier and Arnaud Nordin operating behind Akor Adams in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Reims are expected to match Montpellier's formation, with Amir Richardson and Azor Matusiwa anchoring the midfield, enabling Junya Ito, Marshall Munetsi and Keito Nakamura to support Oumar Diakite in attack.

Joseph Okumu played the full 90 minutes against Marseille on the opening weekend before missing the victory over Clermont due to injury, so the Kenyan defender is expected to remain sidelined this weekend.

Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:

Lecomte; Sacko, Jullien, Kouyate, Sylla; Chotard, Ferri; Al-Tamari, Savanier, Nordin; Adams

Reims possible starting lineup:

Diouf; Foket, Agbadou, Abdelhamid, Wilson-Esbrand; Richardson, Matusiwa; Ito, Munetsi, Nakamura; Diakite

We say: Montpellier HSC 2-2 Reims

Previews by email