A mammoth clash awaits in Ligue 1 as high-flyers Reims host champions PSG, with only two points separating those teams on the table.
Will Still was not present for the win over Nantes last weekend, as younger brother Nicolas Still took charge and oversaw a slender victory. Jonathan Ito was on target in the 75 minutes, with his goal proving decisive for Reims, who face PSG this weekend.
With 20 points from their opening 11 Ligue 1 meant Reims have had the best start to their campaign since the 1974/75 season. Keeping their 11th-placed finish last time in mind, Will Still will have ambitions to help the team fight for a top-four race, and their game against PSG will seem like a big test in that aspect.
After the international break, Reims will need to continue playing at their best levels, as three of the four fixtures afterwards are against teams that finished in the top four last season. As things stand, the Ligue 1 table appears tight at the top, with OGC Nice sitting up top and only having a five-point advantage over Will Still’s side, who are fourth.
Luis Enrique will feel the hard work over the last few weeks may have gone down the drain after a disappointing defeat away to AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League. Before heading to San Siro, the Parisians had won their previous five games, scoring three on each occasion.
🎥🎙️
Luis Enrique and @KMbappe spoke to #PSGTV following the match in Milan.#ACMPSG pic.twitter.com/KgoGBOEwh7
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 8, 2023
Former Inter Milan star Milan Skriniar opened the scoring for PSG, while Rafael Leao equalised within three minutes of that strike. Olivier Giroud was in the right place to head home the winner in the second half, which continued PSG’s mixed-bag start to their Champions League campaign.
Enrique will want his side to regroup and focus again on the task in Ligue 1, as they trail OGC Nice by a single point. Their record against Reims has been excellent over the years, as they are unbeaten in the last seven meetings, although they endured draws in both fixtures last season.
Team News & Tactics
Reims
Will Still could make minor changes from the Nantes win, with Mohamed Daramy the only potential difference in the attack. Keito Nakamura and Valentin Atangana are ruled out with ankle injuries, while Azor Matusiwa and Valentin Atangana Edoa are also on the sidelines with groin problems.
📌 Yunis Abdelhamid pourrait disputer son 200e match en Ligue 1 ce week-end contre le @PSG_inside (18 avec Dijon, 181 avec Reims).
Les stats #Opta ⤵️
— Stade de Reims (@StadeDeReims) November 9, 2023
Daramy will replace Amine Salama in the attack and partner with last weekend’s goalscorer Jonathan Ito. Behind the pair will be Reims’ top scorer, Teddy Teuma, who will occupy the attacking midfield role.
Will Still is likely to continue the partnership Marshall Munetsi and Amir Richardson in central midfield, as Matusiwa remains unavailable. Still may not want to change much with his backline and wing-backs, who have kept back-to-back clean sheets against Lorient and Nantes.
Hence, he could stick with a three-man defence of Emmanuel Agbadou, Joseph Okumu and Yunis Abdelhamid, with Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Thomas Foket operating as wing-backs.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Diouf; Abdelhamid, Okumu, Agbadou; Foket, Richardson, Munetsi, Wilson-Esbrand; Teuma; Ito, Daramy
PSG
Luis Enrique will be forced into making key changes to his side that faces Reims. Randal Kolo Muani and Achraf Hakimi are unavailable due to a one-match suspension for offensive chanting. The manager has readymade replacements available, which he should use immediately for the Reims clash.
🆗⚽️ Training continues at Campus PSG
🔜 #SDRPSG pic.twitter.com/Jd3iIkOZFt
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 9, 2023
In terms of absentees, they will be without Presnel Kimpembe, Sergio Rico, Nuno Mendes, Danilo Pereira, Marco Asensio and Keylor Navas. However, the latter three could return at some stage later this month.
Apart from Hakimi, Enrique should keep his other backline members in their positions. He might ring the changes in midfield by replacing Vitinha with Lee Kang-in, who impressed him during his cameo against Milan.
Manuel Ugarte and Warren Zaire-Emery should keep their places. In the attack, Goncalo Ramos should comfortably replace Kolo Muani to spearhead the PSG attack. Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele should continue in the wide areas.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Mukiele, Marquinhos, Skriniar, L.Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Ugarte, Lee; Dembele, Ramos, Mbappe
Key Stats
- Reims have kept a clean sheet in their last two Ligue 1 games.
- After 11 games and 20 points, this is Reims’ best start to a Ligue 1 season since 1974-75.
- PSG are unbeaten in their last 12 Ligue 1 away games.
- PSG are unbeaten in their last seven Ligue 1 games against Reims.
- PSG’s last 2 games against Reims in Ligue 1 ended in a draw.
Player to Watch
Goncalo Ramos
👊 Back to training!
🔜 #SDRPSG | @qatarairways pic.twitter.com/dwK8ARLaSA
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 8, 2023
Luis Enrique had experimented with his centre-forward options since the season began. But now Randal Kolo Muani may have gotten the nod over Ramos. The Portuguese international has started more Ligue 1 games over the Frenchman. But Kolo Muani’s preference in crunch clashes shows who the manager trusts more as his centre-forward.
Against Reims, Ramos may get another chance to showcase his worth. But Enrique will want his centre-forward to score more goals, especially with the quality surrounding them. Ramos’s tenappearances have yielded only 2 goals, and if he’s to improve that tally at the weekend, things could change for the Portuguese international going forward.
Prediction
Reims 1-2 PSG
Reims are not a team PSG should take lightly this season, something they have already done with other teams earlier this season and paid the price. Will Still may build on his team’s recent momentum and aim to get a positive result from the contest.
PSG have the quality to beat any Ligue 1 side. But they, too, have vulnerabilities which Enrique continues working towards. This game away at Reims will have its moments, and the Parisians have it in them to seize those, as they will likely come out with three points, primarily because of their superior record on the road in the domestic league.
