Preview: Reims vs. Marseille - prediction, team news, lineups

Under the guidance of Will Still, the Red and Whites have climbed to eighth in French top flight, while Marseille find themselves second - 13 points clear of Reims.

Match preview

Will Still continued his remarkable start to life as Reims manager as he led his team to a 1-0 win at Monaco last weekend, securing a third successive clean-sheet victory in the process.

Having guided Reims to a 17-game unbeaten run in the league since his arrival in October - recording nine wins and eight draws along the way - Still now finds himself in the Ligue 1 record books at the age of just 30.

The rising star of European football management has transformed Reims into one of the toughest teams in France's top tier, with the Red and Whites winning five of their last seven league matches while keeping six clean sheets.

After holding Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes in January, Reims hammered Lorient 4-2 before thrashing Troyes 4-0, exhibiting their ruthlessness under Still.

Reims lost two of their first four home league outings but have since taken 23 points from a possible 27 at the Stade Auguste-Delaune, winning seven of their past eight games on home soil to give themselves a chance of securing European football.

Of course, Will Still's Reims have garnered plenty of plaudits recently, and rightly so, but they will have to be at their very best to overcome a Marseille outfit with the best away record in Ligue 1.

Having suffered a solitary defeat in 13 away league games this season - picking up 10 wins and two draws in the process - Marseille have taken 32 points from a possible 39 on their travels.

Better yet, Igor Tudor's men head into Sunday's clash on a run of seven straight away victories in Ligue 1, and they have kept a clean sheet in four of their previous five, preventing Troyes, Nantes, Clermont and Rennes from scoring.

Although OM have failed to win any of their last four home league matches - recording two draws and two losses - their away form has kept them within touching distance of table-topping PSG.

Leading 2-0 with 15 minutes remaining, Marseille were held to a 2-2 draw by Strasbourg last time out, conceding twice in the dying moments of the match, so they will be eager to make amends this weekend.

Reims Ligue 1 form:

D

W

D

W

W

W

Reims form (all competitions):

L

W

D

W

W

W

Marseille Ligue 1 form:

L

W

W

L

W

D

Marseille form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

W

D

Team News

Noah Jean Holm (back), Myziane Maolida (ankle) and Emmanuel Agbadou (muscle) are all sidelined due to injury, meaning that Will Still may shuffle his pack this weekend.

That said, Folarin Balogun is a guaranteed starter in attack, as the 21-year-old Arsenal loanee has netted 16 goals in 26 Ligue 1 appearances this season, while only PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Lille's Jonathan David have scored more.

As for the visitors, they will be without the suspended Leonardo Balerdi on Sunday after the Argentine defender picked up a red card last time out.

Eric Bailly, on loan from Manchester United, is expected to replace Balerdi at centre-back, while Alexis Sanchez will continue to lead the line following his goal against Strasbourg.

In terms of injuries, Marseille are still missing long-term absentee Pedro Ruiz, with Moroccan midfielder Amine Harit also expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Reims possible starting lineup:

Diouf; Foket, Keita, Abdelhamid, De Smet; Matusiwa, Lopy; Ito, Munetsi, Flips; Balogun

Marseille possible starting lineup:

Lopez; Mbemba, Bailly, Kolasinac; Clauss, Rongier, Veretout, Tavares; Under, Malinovskyi; Sanchez

We say: Reims 1-1 Marseille

Although Marseille have won each of their last seven away league matches, Tudor's men could struggle to extend their winning streak against Reims, who have claimed seven victories in their previous eight home games.

With that in mind, we expect Reims and Marseille to play out a low-scoring draw at the Stade Auguste-Delaune, with the Red and Whites continuing their phenomenal unbeaten run under Will Still.

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