This Saturday, January 25, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) take on Reims (13th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off 9.05pm, broadcast on DAZN) as part of Matchday 19 of Ligue 1 2024-2025. And as before every match, here’s a look at the Parisians’ opponents.
The Reims situation –
William Still made a remarkable arrival at Reims in October 2022 with a string of unbeaten matches that left a lasting impression. This confirmed that Reims had a real place in Ligue 1, close to European qualification.
But they were “only” 9th last season, just a few points away from Europe. Will Still, who came to the fore with this fine performance, left for Lens and was replaced by Luka Elsner after 2 seasons at Le Havre.
Elsner is now under pressure, with talk of a possible replacement beginning to surface as Reims sits 13th in the league, just 4 points ahead of 16th-placed Saint-Etienne and 8 ahead of 17th-placed Le Havre. At least they qualified for the last eight of the Coupe de France by eliminating Monaco on penalties, so there’s a bit of a silver lining.
The 2024 summer mercato –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals:
The 2024/2025 winter mercato –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals:
Key statistics –
This season, Reims is among the league’s 9th-best attackers with 24 goals scored (first-placed PSG are on 48, and last-placed Le Havre are on 14), and has the 9th-best defense with 26 goals conceded (PSG have the best defense with 16 goals conceded, and last-placed Montpellier are on 43).
Reims’ top scorer is Keito Nakamura (24-year-old winger), who ranks 9th in the league with 7 goals (Ligue 1’s top scorer is Mason Greenwood with 12). Junya Ito (31-year-old winger) is Reims’ top passer with 4 assists and is 14th in Ligue 1 (João Neves and Dinale Bakwa are first with 6 assists).
Reims’ last 5 matches-
Only Reims possession is shown and Reims shots are put first (when data is available).
22/12/2024 (French Cup) – Still-Mutzig/Reims: 1-3. In 4-3-3. 70% possession. 18 shots including 11 on target vs. 3 shots (2 on target).
04/01/2025 (Ligue 1) – Saint-Etienne/Reims: 3-1. In 4-3-3. 47% possession. 11 shots including 1 on target against 14 shots (4 on target).
11/01/2025 (Ligue 1) – Reims/Nice: 2-4. In 4-2-3-1. 55% possession. 12 shots including 3 on target versus 15 shots (10 on target).
14/01/2025 (Coupe de France) – Reims/Monaco: 1-1 (3-1 on aggregate). In 4-2-3-1. 31% possession. 11 shots including 3 on target vs. 13 shots (4 on target).
19/01/2025 (Ligue 1) – Reims/Le Havre: 1-1. In 4-2-3-1. 56% possession. 11 shots including 3 on target vs. 7 shots (2 on target).
The squad and the probable team.
Absents – Reda KHADRA, Mohamed DARAMY, Yaya FOFANA, Amadou KONE, Gabriel MOSCARDO, Malcolm JENG, Joseph OKUMU (blessure à l’entraînement veille de match).
The team according to the press in 4-3-3 (L’Equipe) :
Diakhon – Nakamura – Ito
Teuma – Atangana – Munetsi
Sangui – Kipré – Koné – Buta
Diouf
Reims’ style of play.
A relatively solid team, Reims are also capable of using the ball, and we need to be wary of the percussion of their wingers. Watch out for a closed game, against a Reims side who are primarily focused on defending well in order to counter-attack. All this while perhaps taking advantage of the Parisians’ lack of concentration, between two Champions League matches.
