Seeking to maintain their unbeaten start in Ligue 1, reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain travel to the Stade Auguste-Delaune II to face Reims on Saturday.
The Red and Whites are yet to win on home soil so far this season, while the visitors have won each of their first five top-flight games on the road.
Match preview
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Reims have endured a difficult start to the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign, winning just one of their opening nine matches while drawing and losing four games each.
The Red and Whites played out a 2-2 away against Troyes last weekend, but they missed the chance to claim all three points as a 90th-minute equaliser from Jackson Porozo restored parity for the hosts.
Ill-discipline has cost Reims so far this season as Oscar Garcia's side have had a man sent off in six different Ligue 1 matches already this season, including one red card in five of their last six games. Japanese forward Junya Ito was the latest name to be given his marching orders, just two minutes after scoring Reims' second goal against Troyes.
Reims, who currently sit 17th in the Ligue 1 table, head into Saturday's game having lost each of their last four encounters against PSG without scoring, conceding 12 goals in the process.
However, the Red and Whites have won three of their last six Ligue 1 matches against the reigning champions, including two against PSG, securing a 3-1 home victory in May 2019 before winning 2-0 at the Parc des Princes four months later. Such results should instil some belief into Garcia's side ahead of this weekend's challenging contest.
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PSG saw their seven-game winning streak across all competitions come to an end on Wednesday when they played out a 1-1 draw away against Benfica in the Champions League.
Lionel Messi curled in a stunning opener in the 22nd minute – breaking another Champions League record in the process – before Danilo Pereira put the ball into his own net four minutes before half time, and the two sides eventually settled for a share of the spoils.
Christophe Galtier's side remain joint top of Group H along with Benfica as well as four points clear of Juventus in third, and a victory against the Portuguese outfit next week will guarantee their place in the knockout rounds.
PSG will now turn their attention back to Ligue 1, where they sit top of the table with 25 points after eight wins and one draw from their nine matches, two points above Marseille in second place.
Victory for the Parisians on Saturday would see them become only the third Ligue 1 team in the 21st century to accumulate 28 points after 10 matches.
Since losing three successive Ligue 1 away games between February and March, PSG are unbeaten in their last nine French top-flight matches on the road, winning each of their last six which is the longest current run in Europe's top-five leagues.
Team News
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Reims forward Ito is ruled out through suspension, but Maxime Busi, Marshall Munetsi and Dion Lopy have all returned from their respective bans and are available for selection.
Kaj Sierhuis is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury, while Thomas Foket is set to miss out with a muscle problem.
Garcia is expected to stick with a 3-4-1-2 formation, with either Kamory Doumbia or Alexis Flips operating in the number 10 role behind strikers Folarin Balogun and Arber Zeneli – the latter of whom is the most likely candidate to replace the suspended Ito.
As for PSG, Nuno Mendes is ruled out after picking up a muscle injury in the draw with Benfica, while Presnel Kimpembe and Renato Sanches remain sidelined with respective hamstring and groin problems.
Galtier revealed after the Benfica game that Messi asked to be withdrawn in the closing stages due to fatigue, but the Argentine is expected to be fit to start on Saturday alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Juan Bernat is set to replace Mendes at left wing-back, while Marco Verratti is likely to continue in centre-midfield after recovering from a minor calf problem to play the full 90 minutes in midweek.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Gravillon, Agbadou, Abdelhamid; Busi, Munestri, Lopy, Locko; Doumbia; Zeneli, Balogun
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Ramos, Marquinhos, Danilo; Hakimi, Verratti, Vitinha, Bernat; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar
We say: Reims 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Reims will be up against it this weekend, but if they are to claim anything from this fixture then they need to keep all 11 players on the pitch.
Nevertheless, PSG should have few problems in securing a routine victory to maintain their position at the Ligue 1 summit.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
