Monaco vs Reims 23/08/20

23 August 2020

Monaco and Reims will face off at the Stade Louis II in the 2020/21 Ligue 1 curtain-raiser that could as well produce a low-scoring contest. All four of their previous top-flight H2Hs have contained under 2.5 goals, with three featuring under 1.5 goals.

Monaco finished the previous league campaign with a whimper rather than a bang, going from three consecutive triumphs to three successive games without a win (D2, L1). Low scoring was a theme for ‘Les Monégasques’ during that six-game sequence, as they scored under 1.5 goals in five while four featured under 2.5 match goals. Despite losing just twice in five Ligue 1 outings this calendar year (W2, D1), a genuine lack of firepower in the attacking third has seen Monaco score precisely once per match on all of those occasions. Yet, Niko Kovac’s men have avoided defeat in all five of their top-flight home H2Hs with Reims (W1, D4), scoring over 1.5 goals just twice, though.

Meanwhile, the visitors have produced a high-scoring off-season campaign, with seven of their nine pre-season friendlies featuring over 2.5 goals (W5, D1, L3). Yet, ‘Les rouges et blancs’ have been struggling for goals this calendar year, netting one or less in eight of nine Ligue 1 outings since the turn of 2020 (W3, D4, L2). In turn, they’ve either drawn a blank or scored precisely once per match in six league trips since the calendar flipped (W1, D2, L3). David Guion’s men have been defensively robust away from home, though, restricting their opposition to a maximum of one goal per game in four of their previous five top-flight trips.