FRANCE: Ligue 1
Date: 29-08-21
Time: 7:45 PM
Venue: Stade Auguste-Delaune (Reims)
Reims’ Stade Auguste-Delaune will be packed as superstar Lionel Messi looks set to make his Ligue 1 (L1) debut for visiting French giants PSG. That’s not good news for the hosts, who remain winless in their last 11 L1 outings (D7, L4) – the longest active winless streak in the competition – after drawing all three of their opening matches this campaign.
Despite bringing in over €10million through the sale of star striker Boulaye Dia, a lack of summer reinforcements could cost Reims dearly, who only missed finishing in the relegation play-off spot last season by two points. On top of that, Reims are now winless in ten L1 home fixtures (D7, L3), their longest such streak in top-flight history, so alarm bells are beginning to ring.
PSG arrive here in fantastic form but with the shadow of Real Madrid’s failed bid for star forward Kylian Mbappé lurking overhead. That shouldn’t get in the way of this matchup however, as the visitors go in search of a fourth straight victory to open the 2021/22 L1 season, a feat they’ve achieved five times prior in their history, but not since 2018/19.
Currently unbeaten in their last ten L1 trips (W9, D1), boss Mauricio Pochettino will hope the nine-time champions can easily dispatch lesser opposition here as they seek to regain the L1 crown from Lille. The visitors’ star-studded forward line, who have returned 2.7 goals on average across those ten games, is likely to overwhelm Reims, who themselves have scored 3+ goals in just one of their last 11 L1 home clashes.
Players to watch: Reims’ central midfield duo Marshall Munetsi and Moreto Cassamá have combined to score three goals in three L1 matches. A scorer last time out, Ángel di María has never featured in a draw for PSG when scoring in L1 (W45, L2).
.Recent Stats:
- Reims’ form in last 5 matches: DDDLL.
- Paris SG’s form in last 5 matches: WWWLD.
PREDICTION: Away Win
