Currently unbeaten in nearly four months of competitive fixtures, Rennes will resume their Ligue 1 campaign with an opportunity to close the gap between themselves and second-place Lens as they travel to Stade Auguste-Delaune on Thursday to battle Reims.
Coming into this encounter, Reims have put together a nice run of results domestically, unbeaten in seven consecutive league fixtures, while Les Rennais have not lost away from home since falling 2-1 versus Lens in late August.
Match preview
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Flirting with relegation through the early portion of the campaign with just one win in their opening 10 domestic affairs, it seemed clear that changes had to be made in the Champagne region of France.
Following the sacking of Oscar Garcia in October, Les Rouges et Blancs appear to be back on the right track, unbeaten in their last five domestic encounters and up to 11th in the table.
Under their youthful caretaker manager William Still, this group have shown a solid commitment to defending.
Since the 30-year-old Belgian took charge, his players have excelled in that department, posting three clean sheets in their previous five Ligue 1 affairs while conceding no more than a single goal in any of those encounters.
Reims hold a 100% record at Stade Auguste-Delaune since the appointment of Still after failing to win any of their opening five domestic home fixtures with Garcia at the helm.
Three wins is not a massive number after 15 league games, but Reims have earned points numerous times over this campaign, tied with Strasbourg for the most draws so far (eight), while only losing two of their previous 13 domestic encounters.
They have scored the third-fewest goals in Ligue 1 this season, but their quality in the attacking third seems to shine through when facing Stade Rennais, having found the back of the net in each of their previous 15 domestic outings against them
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Another team not having any trouble earning points right now is Rennes, who have 31 after 15 league matches, their highest total ever at this stage of the competition.
It is the third time the club from Bretagne have been as high as third in the standings at this point of the competition in the last four years.
While Reims have been tough to break down lately, slowing down the Rennes attack has proven to be a tall order for opposing teams, with Bruno Genesio's men scoring 31 times domestically, second only to the league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Rennes have plenty of attacking talent to call upon, scoring three or more goals in seven matches in all competitions, although that has only occurred twice away from home.
Their 17-match unbeaten run in all competitions is only five games fewer than the longest in club history achieved between November 1988 and April 1989 when Les Rennais managed a result in 22 straight competitive fixtures.
During the World Cup break, this team looked just as sharp as they did before that point, defeating Celtic (4-3), Feyenoord (2-1) and Brest (3-1) in friendlies, scoring multiple goals each time.
Team News
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Folarin Balogun has given Reims a significant boost in the goalscoring department, as the man on loan from Arsenal has scored in back-to-back home contests, currently tied for fifth in the Ligue 1 Golden Boot race with eight strikes, Yehvann Diouf has conceded a mere two goals in his previous six league outings, while Marshall Munetsi had their only strike when they drew Montpellier 1-1 before the World Cup break.
Maxime Busi and Jens Cajuste had second-half goals for them in this exact fixture last year, which they lost 3-2 to Rennes, while Junya Ito is searching for his first goal since firing home the winner in a 2-1 victory over Auxerre back in October.
Andrew Gravillon is expected to miss a few more weeks with a muscle injury, while they made two changes to the starting 11 in their last league fixture as Ibrahim Diakite and Noah Holm replaced Alexis Flips and Balogun.
Benjamin Bourigeaud has a goal in his last two domestic encounters for Rennes, Martin Terrier is tied with Balogun, scoring eight times over this campaign, while Arnaud Kalimuendo notched the winner in their final match before the international break as they defeated Toulouse 2-1.
Amine Gouiri had a goal in their 4-3 victory over Celtic earlier this month, but he has not scored in league play since the end of October, Jeremy Doku had their insurance goal when they defeated Brest last week, while Steve Mandanda is searching for his first clean sheet away from home in this domestic campaign.
Warmed Omari could be out until early January with a groin injury, and Birger Meling missed the previous match through suspension.
Lovro Majer is coming off a fine World Cup performance with Croatia, scoring in a 4-1 victory over Canada in the group stage and putting home his spot kick as they upset Brazil in the quarter-finals on penalties and eventually captured a bronze medal.
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; De Smet, Abdelhamid, Agbadou, Foket; Cajuste, Matusiwa; Munetsi, Doumbia, Ito; Balogun
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Traore, Wooh, Theate, Truffert; Bourigeaud, Majer, Tait, Terrier; Gouiri, Kalimuendo
We say: Reims 1-2 Rennes
Reims have beaten Rennes more than any other side in Ligue 1 this century, but on this occasion, we are leaning towards the visitors, who are in fantastic form and among the deepest and most dynamic teams when it comes to scoring in the French top flight.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
