Relegation-threatened Troyes will be looking to steer themselves clear of the bottom three with a Ligue 1 victory at home against Reims on Sunday afternoon.

Both sides played out draws in their most recent matches before the international break, with Troyes claiming a point against Saint-Etienne and Reims drawing a blank in a stalemate with Lyon.

Match preview

Troyes head coach Bruno Irles will have been disappointed to see his side only come away with a point against fellow strugglers Saint-Etienne.

Lebo Mothiba gave ESTAC the lead in the 18th minute, but a 67th-minute penalty converted by Ryad Boudebouz ensured that the spoils were shared at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

Troyes have now dropped 23 points after scoring the first goal in Ligue 1 matches this season, more than any other team in the division.

That result saw Irles' men extend their unbeaten run to four games, but they have slipped down to 15th in the Ligue 1 table, two points above 18th-placed Saint-Etienne, who occupy the relegation playoff position, and six points above the bottom two.

Troyes will be confident of returning to winning ways against Reims this weekend as they have won five and drawn two of their last eight meetings against them across all competitions, including the 2-1 victory away from home in October's reverse fixture.

Reims extended their unbeaten league run to five matches when they played out a goalless draw against Lyon on March 20; no other French top-flight side have drawn as many games as Les rouges et blancs (12) so far this season.

Oscar Garcia's side are on course for a mid-table finish this term, as they are 13 points clear of the bottom two and nine clear of Saint-Etienne in 18th. Reims seemingly have little to play for but if they can accumulate at least seven points from their final nine games then that would be enough to better last season's points tally of 42.

Claiming points against Troyes on Sunday could prove to be challenging, however, as they have never beaten ESTAC in any of their five previous Ligue 1 meetings despite scoring on each occasion.

Reims' away record will give them confidence heading to the Stade de l'Aube, as they have only lost two of their last 10 league games on the road.

Victory for Reims would see them secure a third successive top-flight away victory for the first time since 1962.

Team News

Troyes midfielder Karim Azamoum is set to miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury, while right-back Issa Kabore is doubtful due to illness and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Thirty-five-year-old Yoann Touzghar could make his 50th Ligue 1 appearance in attack, with South African forward Mothiba potentially dropping out of the side as a result.

Adil Rami could return to the back three at the expense of Youssouf Kone, while Xavier Chavalerin, Florian Tardieu and Rominigue Kouame are all expected to start again in centre-midfield.

As for Reims, they will be without Hugo Ekitike (hamstring), Andrew Gravillon (foot), Arber Zeneli (groin), Jens Cajuste (ankle) and El Bilal Toure (foot) due to injury.

Marshall Munetsi is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, so either Dion Lopy or Moreto Cassama is set to start in centre-midfield alongside Azor Matusiwa.

Anastasios Donis is available after serving his own one-game ban last time out, but is set to begin on the substitutes' bench, with Nathanael Mbuku, Ilan Kebbal and Alexis Flips all set to start ahead of him in attack.

Troyes possible starting lineup:
Gallon; Rami, Palmer-Brown, Salmier; El Hajjam, Chavalerin, Tardieu, Kouame, Conte; Touzghar, Ugbo

Reims possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Busi, Faes, Abdelhamid; Foket, Matusiwa, Lopy, Konan; Mbuku, Kebbal, Flips

We say: Troyes 1-1 Reims

Both teams have been difficult to beat in recent weeks so we could see a closely-fought contest played out this weekend.

The pressure is on Troyes more so than Reims to claim maximum points, but with little to separate these two sides, we can see the spoils being shared at the Stade de l'Aube.

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