Relegation-threatened Nantes will look to climb the Ligue 1 table when they take on Reims at home on Wednesday.
Nantes are second-last on the ladder but just two points adrift of safety, while Reims are out to push away from the chasing pack in 13th spot.
Match preview
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La Maison Jaune have struggled to notch victories this season, with just four from their 27 matches, and have a leaky defence that has already shipped 42 goals.
Finishing off opponents has been a major issue for the West coast outfit as they have registered 12 draws, the most of any side in the competition.
Nantes' past two matches have both ended in stalemates, with consecutive 1-1 results against Nimes and Marseille.
In contrast, their opponents Les Rouges et Blancs have been only marginally sharper in both attack and defence with seven wins, 10 draws and 10 defeats from their league fixtures.
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The bright spot for David Guion's men has been the finishing of Boulaye Dia, with the Senegalese striker in fine form banging in 12 goals in 2020-21.
However, Reims head into the contest amid a worrying five-game winless run, compounded by last week's 0-0 draw with Montpellier.
A mere seven points separates these two sides in the table, and Nantes have the opportunity to cut that gap to four on Wednesday.
The pair last met on December 16 when Reims edged a tight contest at the Stade Auguste-Delaune 3-2 thanks to Mathieu Cafaro's winner.
Nantes Ligue 1 form: DDWLDL
Nantes form (all competitions): DLLWDD
Reims Ligue 1 form: DDDLDW
Reims form (all competitions): DLLDDD
Team News
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Nantes will have to make do without defenders Sebastien Corchia and Fabio da Silva, who are sidelined with muscle and knee injuries.
Forward Kalifa Coulibaly is also unavailable with a thigh complaint, but is expected to return within the next fortnight.
The key man for Nantes is attacking midfielder Ludovic Blas, with the 23-year-old top-scoring for his club with six goals and three assists this season.
Reims coach Guion has no injury concerns heading into this clash.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Appiah, Girotto, Castelletto, Traore; Blas, Chirivella, Toure, Louza; Simon, Kolo Muani
Reims possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Foket, Munetsi, Faes, Konan; Mbuku, Cassama, Berisha; Kutesa, Dia, Zeneli
We say: Nantes 1-1 Reims
Both of these teams are increasingly desperate and have trouble turning leads into victories, with a draw the most likely result.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Reims win with a probability of 36.73%. A win for Nantes had a probability of 33.85% and a draw had a probability of 29.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Reims win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.76%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.46%) and 0-2 (7.08%). The likeliest Nantes win was 1-0 (12.11%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.44%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Reims would win this match.
