In Ligue 1, Reims takes on Lorient on Wednesday at the Stade Auguste Delaune in an effort to improve on their unlikely draw with PSG. Folarin Balogun equalized for the visitors in the 96th minute to give the Rouges et Blancs a point at the Parc des Princes on Sunday. The visitors led numerically for the final 40 minutes after Marco Verratti was sent off.
Prior to that, William Still’s team had lost six of their previous seven matches in all competitions. However, Balogun’s heroics extended that streak to seven. Reims is 11th in the table with 26 points from 20 games, five places behind their closest rivals, who have nine more points than them.
After defeating Rennes 2-1 at home on Saturday, Lorient won again for the first time in three league games. Within the first 31 minutes of play, Montassar Talbi and Theo Le Bris gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before Flavien Tait scored a consolation goal for Les Rouges et Noir.
Prediction
While Lorient has also struggled recently, Reims has won their last two games without a loss. However, their overall performance has been inconsistent.
We anticipate a draw between the teams because the hosts can be difficult to beat at home.
Prediction: Lorient beats Reims 1-1.
Head-To-Head
- Lorient has won 12 of their last 23 matches against Reims, who have only lost to them four times.
- In their first meeting of the season in October, Lorient and Reims played out a 0-0 draw. This was the second time in their last three games that neither team scored.
- Reims has not lost in any of their last seven games, including their last five in the league.
- This season, Reims has drawn 11 times in Ligue 1, more than any other team in the division. They have won only five times, less than any other team in the top flight with the exception of seven.
- This season in the league, Lorient has conceded 30 goals, more than any team currently in the top 10 positions.
- Only four other teams in the league—Nantes (21 goals), Angers (17 goals), Ajaccio (16 goals), and Auxerre (16 goals)—have scored fewer goals than Reims.
Team news
Montassar Talbi scored for Les Merlus on Friday, his first goal of the season; Theo Le Bris, the manager’s nephew, scored the winning goal; Terem Moffi failed to score for the first time in three games; Romain Faivre joined the team last week on loan from Lyon.
Vito Mannone won for the first time at home since early October on Friday. Enzo Le Fee hasn’t scored in two games, and the team is without a good playmaker after Dango Ouattara left for Bournemouth in the English Premier League. The 20-year-old had five assists while playing for Le FCL.
Le Bris, Stephane Diarra, and Ibrahima Kone took Ouattara, Yoann Cathline, and Chrislain Matsima’s places in Lorient’s starting eleven on Friday, replacing them in their previous league match against Marseille.
Lineup
Reims:
- Diouf
- De Smet, Abdelhamid, Agbadou, Foket
- Cajuste, Matusiwa
- Flips, Zeneli, Ito
- Balogun
Lorient:
- Mannone
- Kalulu, Laporte, Talbi, Le Goff
- Innocent, Ponceau, Le Fee
- Faivre
- Kone, Moffi
Betting Tips
Result: Goals that go over or under 2.5: Both teams to score under 2.5: Yes
Where to watch
This includes matches streamed live and on demand by OTT service beIN Sports Connect, as well as games televised by beIN Sports English and beIN SPORTS en Espaol. More information about the Ligue 1 match can be found in the Voot app.