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After a positive start to his time in charge of Stade de Reims, Luka Elsner now has the toughest test of his reign so far as he welcomes the rampant defending champions Paris Saint-Germain this weekend.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Saturday 21st September, 2024 - UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Not televised / US – beIN Sports
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Ligue 1 pass / US – beIN Sports
REIMS PREVIEW: ELSNER’S IMPACT
Stade de Reims spent quite a lot of money for a club of their size in the summer of 2023 with hopes that Will Still would push them on to a top six finish and potential European qualification this season. Mid-table mediocrity led to his departure in May and he was replaced by Le Havre boss Luka Elsner, who has started the season much better than expected.
The home team did start with a 2-0 loss to Lille on the opening weekend but have markedly improved ever since then. They come into this one on the back of back-to-back 2-1 victories either side of the September international break against Stade Rennais and Nantes to follow on from a hard-fought 2-2 draw at Stade Velodrome against Olympique de Marseille.
PSG PREVIEW: NO BIG NAMES BUT BIG PROSPECTS
No Kylian Mbappe, no Lionel Messi, no Neymar, no Angel Di Maria but Paris Saint-Germain, albeit commonly doing so at this stage of the season, look the best version of PSG for about a decade under the management of former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique as they target European success this season.
The Parisiens come into this one on the back of a slender 1-0 defeat of Girona in the UEFA Champions League courtesy of a Paolo Gazzaniga howler. Prior to that, though, PSG have dominated proceedings in Ligue 1 with four victories in four matches in which they have scored 16 goals in the process.
REIMS TEAM NEWS: ADDITIONAL HEADING HERE
Amadou Kone remains suspended for Reims due to his red card on the opening day of the season but there are plenty of other absentees for the hosts this weekend.
As well as Kone, they are also without defenders Abdoul Kone and Gabriel Moscardo due to injury, sidelined alongside former Ajax attacker Mohamed Daramy.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Diouf; Buta, Kipre, Agbadou, Sangui; Munetsi, Atangana, Teuma; Ito, Diakite, Fofana
UNAVAILABLE: Ab. Kone (Injured), Gabriel Moscardo (Injured), Am. Kone (Suspended), Daramy (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
PSG TEAM NEWS: PLENTY OF ISSUES FOR PSG
Italy’s number one Gianluigi Donnaruma missed the midweek clash with Girona in midweek and the former AC Milan goalkeeper remains unavailable for this weekend.
Presnel Kimpembe’s story is a sad one and he is also still sidelined alongside Goncalo Ramos with Marco Asensio a fresh injury concern for Luis Enrique to deal with.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Safonov; Hakimi, Skriniar, Beraldo, Mendes; Lee, Neves, Fabian Ruiz; Dembele, Kolo Muani, Barcola
UNAVAILABLE: Donnarumma (Injured), Kimpembe (Injured), Marco Asensio (Injured), Ramos (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
REIMS VS PSG PREDICTION
Stade de Reims have lost just one match this season and that loss came on the opening weekend in a game in which they had a man sent off inside 20 minutes with the game also paused for over half an hour due to Angel Gomes’ injury. It won’t be easy for PSG to break them down and the Parisiens are light in attack without either Marco Asensio and Goncalo Ramos. They remain favourites but it may not be a thriller for the neutral.
REIMS VS PSG TIP: PSG TO WIN & UNDER 3.5 GOALS