Guingamp vs Reims Predictions

Reims scored four times away to Toulouse on Tuesday but still came away empty handed as they crashed out of the Coupe de France in dramatic fashion, via penalties. Reims aren’t known for their goalscoring ability, so for them to have won nothing will be extremely disappointing but they must take this attacking form into this match against Guingamp. Only two sides have scored less goals than Reims this season but this cup match saw them score four goals in a single match for the first time since April. 

They have been very defensively minded this season, and understandably so with it being their first year since promotion into the top flight. This has held back their attackers but we are slowly seeing this change. They kept eight clean sheets in their first 12 matches in Ligue 1, but only scored eight goals in this time. In their last nine matches there has been a change of philosophy to a more attacking style and this has paid more dividends, with them scoring nine times in this smaller set of fixtures. They are getting more comfortable with top league football and we think they should be able to take that into this match.

Guingamp remain bottom of Ligue 1 but have won five of their last seven games in all competitions which has put some wind into their sails, which they are aiming to use to get out of the relegation zone for the first time this season. Jocelyn Gourvennec’s men successfully navigated a tricky trip to Nancy on Tuesday, winning 2-1 after extra time. They probably should have beat the Ligue 2 opponents by a much larger margin but just for the club to get back to winning is massive, as you can’t forget they lost each of their first six games of the season. 

Guingamp have scored the same number of goals in their last seven games that they did in the first 18 matches of the season. This just shows how much they have developed and while they’re not perfect at the back with no clean sheets in their last six games, the mentality has vastly improved at the Stade Roudourou. 

Guingamp have a pretty horrid home record of just one win in their last twelve at the Roudourou, while Reims approach this game having lost just one of their last seven on the road. These teams have been improving in attacking regions and we’re expecting another tight clash like the one in November, which ended 2-1 in favour of this match’s visitors. Both teams are on the up but we cannot split the two as Guingamp are in a fantastic vein of form but Reims are superior on the road. Either team could have won the last clash in November and as a result, we’re backing a 1-1 draw here as both teams have scored in six of Reims’ last eight and in four of Guingamp’s last six.