Marseille vs Reims Prediction & Betting Tips - Ligue 1

Prediction published on 19/12/2021, 21:49  by Joseph King | Modified on 19/12/2021 at 22:50 in Ligue 1 Predictions

Second place Olympique de Marseille host 14th place Stade de Reims on matchday 19 of the Ligue 1 season. The hosts, with a game in hand, trail leaders and bitter rivals PSG by 13 points. They currently hold a slim one point advantage over third place Rennes and will be hoping to widen that gap in this match. Sampaoli’s side have now won five of their last six and are coming off a 4-1 victory in the French Cup against a fifth division side. OM’s record on the season reads nine wins, five draws and three defeats with a goal differential of +11. The visitors are also coming off a victory against a fifth division side in the French Cup, as they defeated Reims Sainte-Anne 1-0 away from home. That has made it four wins in the last five for Reims as Les rouges et blancs have moved up to 22 points with five wins, seven draws and six defeats. 

This match sees two teams who are both in good form defensively. Marseille boast the sturdiest defense in the league, conceding just 14 goals on the season and have kept a clean sheet in nine of their 17 Ligue 1 matches. Reims are no pushovers and sport the fifth best defense, with 21 goals conceded. The hosts have only conceded two goals in their last six league matches while the visitors have conceded four goals over the same stretch of games. Marseille are deserved favorites for this one and should be able to extend their winning streak but Reims recent surge in form could make them tricky opponents. The angle of backing one of these two solid defenses to keep a clean sheet is a good way to approach betting on this one.