Monaco and Reims meet at the Stade Louis II in Ligue 1's Friday night fixture this weekend in a clash between two clubs currently on a downward spiral in terms of form.
Both sides have lost ground in the Ligue 1 table, but the visitors did have a euphoric night in midweek, reaching the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.
Match preview
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Just days after their dramatic exit from the Champions League at the hands of Benfica, Monaco suffered defeat in another important game with UCL connotations last weekend.
In a clash with fellow top-four rivals Lille, Adi Hutter's men were beaten 2-1 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, being unable to come back from two goals down, despite having the lion's share of possession and chances.
That means Monaco have now lost seven of their 13 games across all competitions in 2025, including exits from the Champions League, the Coupe de France, and the top four in Ligue 1.
Upcoming opponents Reims were the side that knocked them out of the Coupe, going down on penalties last month, exactly a month after drawing 0-0 in the league.
The hosts enter the rematch in fifth, three points adrift of the automatic Champions League places with a slightly inferior goal difference too, so Hutter will need his side to rediscover the form they showed just two weeks ago when they thrashed Nantes 7-1 here.
Reims could be ideal opponents for Monaco to face, given that they lost yet again last weekend, with the appointment of Samba Diawara doing very little to arrest the run of form that saw Luka Elsner sacked.
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Diawara is still yet to see his side score a league goal under his stewardship, losing all three matches to nil, including last weekend at Rennes, which saw them finish the game with nine men.
That extended Reims' winless league run to 12 matches, in which time they have taken a meagre five points, with their current four-game losing run the worst the club has suffered in almost five years.
Fortunately for Diawara, he gave the Reims supporters a night to remember on Tuesday, though, as they avenged Angers for the defeat inflicted on them in Ligue 1 just over a week ago by knocking them out of the Coupe to advance to the semi-finals.
Keito Nakamura did give Reims the lead late on, before Bamba Dieng's 95th-minute equaliser forced penalties, but that did not dishearten Diawara's side, as they still ended up victorious, winning a third straight cup tie on spot kicks.
Team News
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Despite the recent return of George Ilenikhena and the signing of Mika Biereth, Monaco are still weakened by the absence of Folarin Balogun due to his ongoing shoulder issue, which has kept him out for much of the campaign.
Biereth should get the nod in attack, after he registered his first Ligue 1 assist for the club last weekend, to go along with the seven goals he scored in his first five matches since his arrival from Sturm Graz.
Monaco's injuries are spread all over the pitch, with playmaker Aleksandr Golovin suffering with a groin issue, young midfielder Soungoutou Magassa being held back with a knock to his head, and versatile defender Jordan Teze recovering from a hamstring injury.
Hafiz Ibrahim was one of the two players sent off for Reims last weekend, being handed his marching orders 17 minutes into his Ligue 1 debut, but he served his one-match suspension in midweek.
Cedric Kipre, who scored in normal time but missed in the shootout against Monaco in their cup clash last month, was also sent off last weekend, and remains banned, as his dismissal was for violent conduct.
It was Reims' Japanese trio that were instrumental in the win over Angers on Tuesday, as Nakamura was set up by Hiroki Sekine, before also scoring in the shootout, while Junya Ito netted their fourth penalty, which set up the opportunity to win.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Majecki; Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Mawissa; Zakaria, Camara; Akliouche, Minamino, Ben Seghir; Biereth
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Sekine, Okumu, Gbane, Akieme; Am. Kone, Atangana, Patrick; Ito, Teuma, Nakamura
We say: Monaco 1-1 Reims
Inconsistency is threatening to derail Monaco's season and their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League again next season, as not much can be read into their recent 7-1 win over Nantes, due to the man advantage they enjoyed for most of the game.
The midweek cup win should give Reims a lift, and even though their league form has been dismal in 2025, the tide will turn eventually, and they could start that against a wounded Monaco.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
