Two teams will be meeting in a crucial encounter at the bottom of Ligue 1 when Clermont will welcome Reims to the Stade Gabriel Montpied on Sunday.
Clermont will begin the new year with a narrow one point above the relegation zone as they will be looking to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.
Having lost just one of their opening five Ligue 1 matches, Clermont were left dreaming of a comfortable campaign, but a difficult run of form to end the calender year has seen them slip down the table.
Their victory over Angers in their final Ligue 1 match of 2021 ended a run of seven consecutive games without a win, while simultaniously ending a wait of two months for three points.
That was just their fourth win of the season, with Clermont having only two victories from the last 16 Ligue 1 outings, a form that has led to the club being involved in a relegation battle.
Clermont’s saving fortune this season could be the quality at the bottom of the table being relatively poor, with the likes of St. Etienne, Bordeaux and Metz all threatened by the drop.
Despite currently sitting above Sunday’s opponents, Reims are another side who begin the year uncertain of their Ligue 1 status.
Reims ended 2021 in a strong for, unlike Clermont, picking up 10 points from a possible 15 in their final five matches, a run that included an impressive 1-1 draw away to 10-time French champions Marseille.
Being unbeaten in their last five matches, Reims will be eyeing up a double over Clermont after they won in the pair’s opening meeting of the season.
Last winning both of their matches during a season over Clermont in 2017, Reims have been defeated just once in the pair’s previous six encounters.
Clermont vs Reims head to head
The two teams have previously met on 27 occasions in all competitions, where Reims are leading with 10 victories while Clermont have won 9, and they have drawn in 8. Reims have scored 32 goals and conceded 28. In their last five meeting, Reims have won four and Clermont one.
Reims 2-1 Clermont 20/09/16
Clermont 0-1 Reims 17/02/17
Reims 1-0 Clermont 30/09/17
Clermont 2-1 Reims 02/03/18
Reims 1-0 Clermont 28/11/21
Clermont latest home form
Clermont have recently been on a relatively poor run of form at home, having won just one of their last seven matches. That victory came when they defeated Lille 1-0 on October 16. In their last five matches at home, they have won one, drawn in one and lost three.
Clermont 1-3 Monaco 26/09/21
Clermont 1-0 Lille 16/10/21
Clermont 0-1 Marseille 31/10/21
Clermont 1-2 Nice 21/11/21
Clermont 2-2 Lens 01/12/21
Clermont latest away form
Clermont won their last Ligue 1 away match when they defeated Angers 1-0 on December 12. They also defeated Chemin Bas d’Avignon 4-0 in the Coupe de France on December 18, but they also lost their last match on the road 2-0 to Bastia in the same competition on January 2.
Reims 1-0 Clermont 28/11/21
Montpellier 1-0 Clermont 05/12/21
Angers 0-1 Clermont 12/12/21
Chemin Bas d’Avignon 0-4 Clermont 18/12/21
Bastia 2-0 Clermont 02/01/22
Reims latest home form
Reims have recently been on a relatively good form at home. They won their last home game when they defeated Saint-Etienne 2-0. However, they had lost 2-1 to Angers prior to that. In their last five matches at home, they have won two, drawn one and lost two in the process.
Reims 1-2 Troyes 24/10/21
Reims 0-0 Monaco 07/11/21
Reims 1-0 Clermont 28/11/21
Reims 1-2 Angers 05/12/21
Reims 2-0 Saint-Etienne 11/12/21
Reims latest away form
Reims have recently been on a good run of form on the road, as they have not lost in their last five matches, having won three and drawn two. They defeated Reims Sainte-Anne 1-0 and Thaon with the same scoreline in the Coupe de France. They drew 1-1 with Marseille in their last league game.
Strasbourg 1-1 Reims 21/11/21
Lyon 1-2 Reims 01/12/21
Reims Sainte-Anne 0-1 Reims 19/12/21
Marseille 1-1 Reims 22/12/21
Thaon 0-1 Reims 02/01/22
Clermont news
Clermont will miss a number of players, with Jean-Claude Billong and Florent Ogier miss with ankle injuries, while Jason Berthomier and Cedric Hountondji being absent with groin issues.
Mohamed Bayo, Saif-Eddine Khaoui and Jim Allevinah will not be available after travelling to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations for their respective countries.
Reims news
Reims will also miss some players who have travelled for the Africa Cup of Nations including, Moussa Doumbia, El Bilal Toure, Moreto Cassama and Ghislain Konan.
Hugo Ekitike continues to serve a red card suspension and will not be available, while Arber Zeneli has bee ruled out until May with an ACL injury.
Prediction and Odds
Clermont have been good at times this season, but with a depleted squad it will likely mean their opponents are capable of outdoing them.
Reims have recently gotten better of Clermont, as they have won four of their last five meeting, and we could see a draw or an away win.
Odds: 1 2.45 X 3.05 2 1.98
Probable outcomes
Clermont 0-0 Reims
Clermont 1-1 Reims
Clermont 0-1 Riems
Clermont 0-2 Reims
Clermont 1-2 Reims
