Our prediction for this Coupe de la Ligue match:
Reims
Match Time & Date:
17/12/2019
12:45 PM
Prediction: 1-0
Montpellier
Stade Auguste-Delaune II will host Tuesday’s Coupe de la Ligue game between Reims and Montpellier. Les Rouges et Blancs aim to build on back-to-back league wins over Saint-Etienne and Toulouse, and they are certainly capable of matching la Paillade in front of home fans. A man to keep an eye on in the home side will be Boulaye Dia, who has netted five goals in the Ligue 1 so far this season.
Reims recorded a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bourg-en-Bresse in their opener, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry in the clash against Montpellier. Michel Der Zakarian’s troops, on the other hand, suffered a dip in form in the French top flight, with the team losing to PSG (1-3) and Lille (1-2) in the last two league fixtures. Since Montpellier are not regarded as good travellers, we believe that home win should be considered.
Highlighted Player (Moussa Doumbia):
A Malian midfielder Moussa Doumbia has been with Russian side FK Rostov since 2014. The 22-year-old powerful midfielder started his career with Real Bamako in 2012. Doumbia spent two years playing for the Scorpions in the Malien Premiere Division, the top rank in the country. Russian side recognised his talent and made a transfer in 2014 tying Moussa Doumbia on a four-year deal.
During two seasons with Russian Premier League outfit, Doumbia was involved in 31 league matches. In 2015-16 season he contributed to his club’s runners-up finish with two goals of his own. Full-time Mali international made his national team debut in 2014 in a 3-1 victory over China in Shenzen.
His most recent international appearances occurred in September during an empathic 5-2 win over Benin in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Doumbia went on to score his team’s fifth goal with eleven minutes on the clock rounding off an impressive performance.
Highlighted Team (Montpellier):
Over the years Montpellier have established themselves as a mid-table side in French Ligue 1. Montpellier are considered one of the youngest clubs in France as they were founded in 1974, but it has to be noted that a number of high-profile footballers played for the club in the past. French football legend Laurent Blanc played for Montpellier from 1981-1993 and he scored 76 goals in 24 appearances in the league for the club. Eric Cantona, Roger Milla, Carlos Valderama and Olivier Giroud played in Montpellier’s colors as well, but Pascal Baills is the player with most appearances for the club (429).
La Paillade did remarkably well to win the Ligue 1 trophy in 2012 and that is considered the club’s biggest success. Montpellier won Coupe de France on two occasions (1929, 1990), with the team beating FC Sete and FC Paris respectively in the title games. The team welcome their rivals at Stade de la Mosson and the capacity of the stadium is 32.900. In 1999 Montpellier won the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
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