Separated by five points at the bottom end of the Ligue 1 table, Reims and Toulouse will do battle in an important contest at the Stade Auguste-Delaune II on Sunday.

The hosts moved out of the bottom three with a crucial victory last time out, while their visitors sit 12th and seven points above the relegation places.

Match preview

Reims return to action at the weekend aiming to move further clear of the Ligue 1 relegation places, having moved out of the drop zone with a return to winning ways last weekend.

Following a ninth-placed finish last time out, Les rouges et blancs have endured a much tougher campaign, earning just 29 points from their 29 matches having lost 14 of those and only won seven.

They would drop into the bottom three as a result of a 15-match winless run between November and mid-March, which produced just six points, but Samba Diawara's side have since improved their survival hopes with two victories from their last three attempts, firstly ending the rut by beating Marseille 3-1 at home in late March.

Then on the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Strasbourg, Les rouges et blancs visited Lens last Friday and left with a crucial three-point haul, as Keito Nakamura netted a brace in a 2-0 away triumph.

Now sitting one spot and two points above the relegation playoff place with five games remaining thanks to that latest win, Reims will aim to extend their cushion and move clear of the threat of the drop with a second straight win on Sunday.

Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip at the weekend with the chance to cement their top-flight status for next season, having quickly dropped down the bottom half of the table following a poor run of form.

Toulouse sat in Ligue 1's top half in early March following back-to-back away wins over Le Havre and Angers, moving onto 33 points from 24 outings, but they have since added just one more point to that tally in the last five attempts.

Following a creditable 1-1 draw with Monaco, Les Violets head into Sunday's trip on the back of four straight defeats, firstly falling short at the hands of Strasbourg, Brest and Marseille, conceding nine goals along the way.

Carles Martinez's side then hosted Lille last weekend, and after drawing level at a goal apiece through Charlie Cresswell, they again came away empty-handed as Mitchel Bakker netted the decisive goal in a 2-1 away win on the stroke of half time.

Having now dropped to 12th spot as a result of their rut, albeit with a seven-point cushion over the relegation playoff spot and five games remaining, Toulouse will hope to end their slide and guarantee their Ligue 1 place for next season with a return to winning ways on Sunday. 

Team News

Reims continue to deal with several injury issues, with Mohamed Daramy, Mamadou Diakhon, Yaya Fofana, Reda Khadra and Joseph Okumu again set to miss out on Sunday.

Cedric Kipre will return to contention though, after serving a suspension last time out, although they may field an unchanged starting XI from the 2-0 away win over Lens, with Sekine Hiroki, Malcolm Jeng and Mory Gbane having kept a clean sheet in a back three.

Jordan Siebatcheu will hope to lead the line again, while Keito Nakamura is their danger man in attack having notched up 11 Ligue 1 goals this term, including both in last week's triumph.

Toulouse will remain without Rasmus Nicolaisen, Niklas Schmidt and Zakaria Aboukhlal on Sunday due to ongoing injury issues.

In the absence of Aboukhlal, who leads the squad with seven goals this season, Frank Magri will again be relied upon going forward, while Yann Gboho and Aron Donnum will hope to keep their spots in support.

Cristian Casseres is a mainstay in the engine room, while Charlie Cresswell continues to play a key role in the middle of a back three after his third league goal of the season last time out.

Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Hiroki, Jeng, Gbane; Buta, Atangana, Kone, Akieme; Ito, Siebatcheu, Nakamura

Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Restes; Sidibe, Cresswell, McKenzie; King, Casseres, Sierro, Suazo; Gboho, Magri, Donnum

We say: Reims 2-0 Toulouse

Needing another triumph to move clear of the bottom three, we back Reims to come out on top against a Toulouse side lacking confidence in the midst of their poor run since early March.


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