Le Havre vs Stade Reims Prediction: Le Havre Faces High-Flying Reims with Hopes to Escape the Relegation Zone

Coming into the 11th matchday of Ligue 1, Le Havre plays host to Stade Reims in an intriguing encounter: Le Havre 17th in the league, Reims sitting 8th. Le Havre will be trying to get out of the relegation danger zone, while Reims will try to be consistent enough to keep themselves in the top half. Given that there will be contrasting tactics employed and recent history favors Reims, this game could be crucial in which direction the teams' seasons go in 2024/25.

Le Havre goes into this match in a precarious position in the table, struggling to string together decent performances or even create sufficient offense, as the 3-0-7 record suggests. After the morale boosting 1-0 win against Montpellier, they have lost four out of their last five games, further emphasizing their struggles. Stade Reims has mixed results with a record of 4-2-2. Undeniably, they lost to Toulouse in their last match, but Reims have been competitive in their last five matches, with two wins that showed glimpses of quality to possibly worry Le Havre's backline.

With Reims favoring a 4-3-3 formation with its emphasis on structured midfield play and flanking attacks, and Le Havre lining up in a 3-1-4-2 looking to control possession in the middle, the tactical setups promise a classic clash between possession and counter-attacking styles.

Le Havre (3-1-4-2): Under Didier Digard, Le Havre's 3-1-4-2 formation relies on compact defense and has just a single pivot in midfield when linking the defense with the four-man midfield. This is a setup that controls the center of the pitch, but it has often left gaps in transitions. With a low scoring rate, their hopes will lie more on the creation of quality opportunities than quantity; this was replicated in the last match against Montpellier when, despite having as high as 48% ball possession, they managed only four shots on target. Considering Reims' attacking nature of gameplay, one would feel that against them, Stade Rennais may have to work on swift counters and any defensive slack on the flank areas.

Stade Reims (4-3-3): In Luka Elsner's 4-3-3 system, Reims is oriented toward wing play and a well-structured midfield. With slightly better possession statistics, they will attempt to press high up the pitch and win the ball early to assume control of the game with a dynamic front three. Their creation of chances is also superior to that of Le Havre; however, the low shots-on-target rate in recent games suggests there is room for further improvement. Elsner will most likely push his team to exploit Le Havre's wide areas that are often vulnerable, along with set-pieces, which are highly a phase of play where Reims have been strong.

Historically, Stade Reims is ahead of Le Havre with six wins versus four for Le Havre, including three draws. Reims has won the last three matches, maybe with some slight hint of psychological advantage. Indeed, the matches have been tight, considering five of the last seven matches saw under 2.5 goals-a tendency to adopt more cautious approaches. This is a trend that could well continue, as both teams will look to minimize their defensive errors.

The defensive approach by Le Havre in their 3-1-4-2 could get exposed by the better tempo and flank play from Reims. Digard will need his side to remain compact and disciplined, for they can easily get overrun whenever they try matching the pace of Reims. Their recent victory against Montpellier does suggest some resilient defending, though a near-total lack of attacking output could be a worry, in the event of falling behind early.

By contrast, Reims can be a bit more confident going into this matchup. Their attacking depth in a 4-3-3 is much better positioned to take advantage of the spaces in Le Havre's three-man backline, at least when defenders are isolated one-on-one. Given their position and ambition to remain in the top half, Reims will most likely push to try and win this game but must improve their accuracy in front of goal after finishing issues were highlighted in their last outing against Toulouse.

Given how both sides have performed of late and the tactics involved, Reims are expected to have a slight edge, although it may be another cagey, low-scoring encounter. Le Havre's home advantage might keep them in this game, although they most definitely will need to take advantage of set-pieces or Reims's defensive mistakes to find a way to score.

• 3 Way Total Under 3 Goals @ 1.832 Odds
• Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.74 Odds
• GG (no) @ 1.95 Odds