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

In-form Reims travel to face struggling Auxerre at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps on Sunday afternoon in Ligue 1.

Reims have made more headlines with two excellent results this week to keep their unbeaten run going.

Match preview

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The astonishing story of Reims this season continues to gather momentum after another spectacular week.

Thirty-year-old manager Will Still has been attracting more attention from the social media masses after he led his side to a 1-1 at the Parc des Princes against Paris Saint-Germain last weekend.

Reims are fined £22,000 every match because Still does not have the required coaching badges necessary to manage in Ligue 1, but he has led his side on a fantastic 13-game unbeaten streak.

Having honed his skills on the popular Football Manager game, in a college in Preston and with Belgian outfit Beerschot, Still has been the managerial revelation in Europe this season.

The key to their recent success has been getting the best out of Folarin Balogun, as the Arsenal loanee scored the superb equaliser in stoppage time against PSG, and netted a hat-trick in midweek against Lorient.

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Incredibly, Balogun is now the Ligue 1 top scorer with 14 goals, overtaking the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Wissam Ben Yedder and Alexandre Lacazette.

Avoiding defeat again here will mark Reims' longest unbeaten run since the 1950s, back when they were European Cup finalists.

For Auxerre, unbeaten runs are not a regular occurrence as they have now lost seven in a row in Ligue 1.

Wins over lower-league Dunkerque and Niort in the Coupe de France represent their only wins in any competition since October.

Sitting six points adrift means the newly-promoted side look in real danger of an instant return to Ligue 2 come May.

Their home form is largely better than their results on the road, but Auxerre's last two home matches have seen them ship seven goals with no reply against Montpellier and Toulouse, two sides also in the relegation fight.

Team News

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Siriki Dembele could make his Auxerre debut after joining from Bournemouth on deadline day.

Han-Noah Massengo made his first appearance off the bench following a move from Bristol City, while Ionut Radu has taken the reins in goal following the departure of Benoit Costil to Lille.

Another of their new acquisitions, Elisha Owusu, is currently out injured.

Myziane Maolida was the only new face arriving at Reims last month, but they sent four players out on loan late in the window, with Andreaw Gravillon being one, as he moved to Torino.

Noah Holm and Bradley Locko are Reims' only injury absentees for this one.

Auxerre possible starting lineup:

Radu; Zedadka, Jeanvier, S Toure, Mensah; M'Changama, B Toure, Sakhi; Dembele, Niang, Perrin

Reims possible starting lineup:

Diouf; Foket, Agbadou, Abdelhamid, De Smet; Munetsi, Matusiwa, Doumbia; Ito, Balogun, Flips

We say: Auxerre 1-1 Reims

Reims are on a superb unbeaten run, but they have drawn eight of those 13 games without defeat.

Auxerre will also be determined to end this seven-game losing run, and will hope some of their new signings can make an impact.

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