Two teams that are at least in the extended midfield of Ligue 1 play against each other on this matchday. While Reims can be satisfied with the current season, this is not really true for Marseille. The South of France wanted to continue playing at the top.
Marseille’s lack of consistency is also the reason why the odds before the match between Reims and Marseille point to the visitors being the favourites, but this is not too clear-cut.
The first leg between these two teams was not exactly a spectacle, ending 1-1, so now both are fighting for the three points again. The match kicks off on Friday evening at 9 pm.
Prediction & Live Odds for Reims vs. Marseille 23/04/2021
Stade Reims are in good form and want to wrest at least a draw from Marseille. Draws are very much part of Reims’ repertoire anyway. No team in Ligue 1 has shared points with its opponents more often than the hosts.
In the last few weeks, Reims impressed mainly with their good defence. And Marseille are currently trying to find their balance in the game. Therefore, before the match between Reims and Marseille, our tip is that less than 2.5 goals (Under 2.5 goals) will be scored in this match.
Reims – Statistics & current form
David Guion, coach of Stade Reims, stands for continuity. He has been the coach of this team since 2017 and has continuously developed this team. This team is also getting the best out of this season. Eleventh place after 33 games and 41 points are definitely something to build on. The advantage is that the hosts don’t have much pressure now and can play freely.
Getting a lot out of a few opportunities is definitely a quality. The individual class is not particularly high, which is also reflected in the odds ahead of the match between Reims and Marseille.
Last weekend, Reims already played a midfield duel against Metz, back then the game ended 0:0. Anyway, draws seem to be the means of choice when Reims plays at the moment. Seven of the last nine games ended in a draw, the other two were won by Reims.
Reims relies on a good defence
In the last few weeks, it is noticeable that the defence is working very well. In the nine games mentioned above, in which Reims remained unbeaten, the team only conceded more than one goal once and scored four times. That is a very strong rate, because especially in the rather average start to the season, Reims offered a lot defensively.
Due to the defence, which has worked very well recently regardless of the opponent, our prediction before the match between Reims and Marseille is that less than 2.5 goals will be scored in this match. You can follow the game with the live score function at Wettbasis to see if there will be a goal festival after all.
Striker Boulaye Dia is expected to liven up the hosts’ attack. The powerful attacker is one of his team’s best players and has scored 14 league goals. By comparison, Reims’ second-best scorer currently stands at three goals.
Predicted Reims line-up: Rajkovic – Foket, Munetsi, Abdelhamid, de Smet – Chavalerin, Drammeh, Doumbia, Mbuku – Toure, Dia
Marseille – Statistics & current form
The guests from Marseille actually hoped this season that they would play a good role in the fight for the Champions League. However, that is not the case. At the moment, even their participation in the newly introduced European Conference League is wobbling. This is mainly due to a lack of consistency and weak phases in which not much works.
A look at the Ligue 1 table shows that “OM” is currently in sixth place. Lens in fifth place is only one point away, Rennes in seventh place as well. On Saturday, Marseille beat Lorient 3:2 in a rather wild game, in general the form is not really bad with ten points from five games.
However, the one defeat at this stage, a lacklustre 0:3 in Nice, showed the pattern Marseille often fall back into. Even under the new coach Sampaoli, not all that glitters is gold. Nevertheless, there is no mistaking the development. The new coach demands a lot from his players, especially in the technical area.
Marseille: Is a final spurt enough for fifth place?
The fact that Marseille have recently conceded too much shows that the balance is not yet fully in place. Five goals conceded in the last two games, which were nevertheless played without defeat, speak for themselves. Marseille must now try to make a final spurt in the last weeks of the season, and the defence is a central aspect.
Despite a good start, Marseille are not in the top 5 of the league in terms of goals scored, goals conceded or possession. The same applies to the overview of the top scorers, and there is no player from OM among the goal scorers and assist providers. This shows where things are lacking everywhere.
Marseille has a much weaker record away than at home this season. OM celebrated nine victories at home in Ligue 1, only five away from home. However, fewer goals are scored when Marseille play away from home. That’s another reason why our tip before the match between Reims and Marseille is that less than 2.5 goals will be scored overall.
Predicted Marseille line-up: Mandanda – Lirola, Balerdi, Gonzalez, Sakai – Gueye, Kamara, Cuisance, Luis Henrique, Payet – Thauvin
