Reims v Nice Betting Tips [21 May 2022]
Football - Ligue 1
21 May 2022 15:00
The match
The final matchday of the Ligue 1 season has 12th-place Stade de Reims hosting sixth-place Nice at the Auguste-Delaune Stadium. The visiting Nice are looking to qualify for Europe as they trail fifth-place Strasbourg on goal differential and fourth-place Rennes by two points. Les Aiglons fell to a 3-1 home defeat to Lille their last time out, a result which snapped a three match winning run. They come up against a Reims side with nothing left to play for having already secured themselves at least a 12th place finish and can only potentially move up one spot to 11th with a win and a Brest loss. Les Rouges et Blanc are coming off a 2-1 away win against St Etienne in their last fixture and have been in a fairly strong run of form, having won three of their last five matches.
A low-scoring match could be on the cards in this match with impressive defenses facing off. Nice have allowed a league low 34 goals and are tied for the highest clean sheet count in the league with 14 from their 37 matches. The notable part of Nice’s defensive performance this season has been their solidity when playing away from home. Nice have only conceded 13 goals away and nine of their 14 clean sheets have come on the road. Their opponents have a strong defensive record in their own right, only conceding 41 goals in the league and having kept 11 clean sheets. While Reims don’t have anything left to play for, we shouldn’t be expecting them to completely roll over and their results in recent weeks would back that up. Nice will be desperate for a positive result here which should see them come out extra focused to keep their opponents off the score sheet.
Key Statistics
- Nice’s average total goals per match drops from 2.53 when playing at home to 1.94 when playing away – the lowest total in Ligue 1.
- Reims have a total average goals per match of 2.39 when playing at home in the league this season.
- Reims are tied for the lowest over 2.5 rate in the league, with only 15 of their 37 matches eclipsing the mark.
The bet of our experts
We’re going to back under 2.5 goals as our bet for this match. Two teams who prioritize defending and have been impressive on that end this season should result in a low-scoring type of match. Although both sides have seen their most recent few matches go over the totals, we can expect a return to defensive form here, especially with the importance of this match for the visitors.
