“Reims” – “Marseille”. Match Preview and Prediction

May 15, 2024. 22:00. Reims. Stade Auguste Delaune
French Championship, 32nd round

Where to watch: MEGOGO

Injuries: Okumu, Busi, Darami, Atangana – Nadir and Ronje

“Reims” – “Marseille”: Bookmakers’ odds

On Wednesday in the rescheduled match of the 32nd round of the French Championship, “Reims” will host “Marseille”. The hosts are already devoid of tournament motivation and will finish ninth in the best case scenario. “Marseille” still hopes to jump on the last wagon of the European cups train, so the guests need only a victory to keep their chances of reaching the top-6 alive.

“Reims”

“Reims” did not wait for the season’s final match and took advantage of the break in the championship, which occurred due to the rescheduled match, to fire the head coach. Will Still helped the team take a step forward in the past two incomplete seasons, but it was not enough to qualify for the European cups. The 11th place in the previous season may be repeated, as the “red and whites” currently occupy this spot.

In the first match under the temporary coach Diavara, a draw was achieved away against “Brest”, who is fighting for a spot in the Champions League. Munetsi’s goal put “Reims” ahead, but they failed to hold on to the win – 1:1. This draw ended a streak of three losses, but the winless streak has been ongoing since mid-March, when “Metz” was defeated 2:1.

Overall, it was the only victory in the last seven matches at the Stade Auguste Delaune. Moreover, it was the only match where more than one goal was scored by the team in this period. Therefore, it will not be easy to defeat motivated “Marseille” and take revenge for the loss in the first round. However, playing a draw, as in the recent matches against “Lens”, PSG, Lyon, Nice, Brest, the hosts are fully capable.

“Marseille”

After being eliminated from the Europa League in the semi-finals by “Atalanta”, it became clear that in this season, at best, “Marseille” can hope to return to the second-tier European cup. Practically throughout the season, “Olympique” has been around the top-6, but they have not been able to break in. After a home victory over “Lorient” thanks to a double by Ocampos and a goal by Gueye 3:1, Gasset’s team will have a new chance to finally catch up with the rivals.

A win against “Reims” will allow them to tie in points with “Lens” and “Lyon”, who have 50 points each, but due to a better goal difference, “Marseille” will climb to the sixth place with one round to go. In the final round, “Olympique” will face an away game against “Le Havre”, who also practically have no tournament motivation. Therefore, getting six points and securing another European cup season seems like a realistic task. The sixth place guarantees participation in the Conference League, and in case of Lyon’s defeat in the cup final against PSG – the Europa League, seventh place under the same final scenario will secure a spot in the third-tier European cup. However, if Lyon manages to break into the top-6, then the seventh place will ensure Marseille a spot in the Conference League under any final scenario.

However, the problem is that both final matches, “Marseille” will play away, and the team’s away form this season looks simply terrible. While at home, “Olympique” has lost only one match, they have only managed to win twice on the road – against the two teams relegated from Ligue 1 – “Clermont” and “Lorient”. In the rest of the matches – five draws and eight losses. Therefore, beating a demotivated, yet quite organized “Reims” will not be an easy task.

“Reims” – “Marseille”: Probable Lineups

Okumu, Busi, Darami, and Atangana are injured for “Reims”, while Nadir and Ronje are in the sickbay for “Marseille”.

“Reims” – “Marseille”: Author’s Prediction

For “Marseille”, failing to qualify for the European cups will be a serious blow to their ambitions, so I expect the guests to put in maximum effort for a victory. It is likely that “Olympique” will manage to secure three points in a match with over 2.5 total goals.