Monaco vs Reims Prediction: Hosts to win big again at Stade Louis II

Fifth hosts 15th in Ligue 1 on Friday night (19:45, Amazon Prime Video) as Stade Reims travel to the principality to take on AS Monaco at the Stade Louis II.

Below are my Monaco vs Reims predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, as both sides look to bounce back from league defeats last weekend.

Team News

Folarin Balogun (shoulder), Aleksandr Golovin (groin), Jordan Teze (hamstring) and Soungoutou Magassa (head) are out injured for the hosts.

Breel Embolo, George Ilenikhena and Caio Henrique were all thrown on in the 66th minute against Lille last Saturday and the three players must be in contention for starts this week.

Football Odds

For the visitors, Cedre Kipre is suspended after receiving a red card for violent conduct six minutes into his side’s 1-0 defeat to Rennes last Friday.

Hafiz Ibrahim was also handed his marching orders at Roazhon Park but his dismissal was for two bookable offences and he served his suspension in Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Angers in the Coupe de France quarter-finals.

Jordan Siebatcheu (muscle), Rene Khadra, Mohamed Daramy (both knee) and Yaya-Kader Fofana (ankle) miss out on Friday’s match through injury.

Monaco vs Reims Odds

Monaco have won all three Ligue 1 games at the Stade Louis II this calendar year, beating Rennes 3-2, Auxerre 4-2 and Nantes 7-1. Friday's hosts are, though, surprisingly winless in the top division of French football against Reims since February 2014, drawing the first five games since and losing the last three.

Les Rouge et Blanc are, however, 4/11 favourites in this week's fixture, implying a win probability of 73.3%, while Les rouges et blancs are 7/1, or a 12.5% chance, to triumph on their league travels for the first time since November 10.

The draw is priced at 4/1, both teams to score 8/11, and over 2.5 total goals at 1/2.

Match Result & Total Goals Over/Under 3.5 Goals - Monaco & Over 3.5 Goals @ 7/4

Only runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain (29) and Nice (27) have picked up more points at home in Ligue 1 this season than Monaco (26), who have won eight of their 12 league games at the Stade Louis II.

Reims, meanwhile, have only won three of their 11 away matches, picking up 12 points on their travels, and they've lost three of their last four on the road, last tasting success on November 10.

Two of their three defeats away from the Stade Auguste-Delaune this calendar year have seen four goals scored; they lost 3-1 at St Etienne on January 3 and were thrashed 4-0 at Lyon on February 9.

Monaco's last three league games in the principality have served up at least five goals and Adi Hutter's side have won all three, so backing a home win and over 3.5 goals looks a good bet at 7/4 on Friday.

Anytime Goalscorer - Takumi Minamino (ASM) @ 7/4

Takumi Minamino scored just once in his first 18 league appearances this season but has now notched in his last two either side of a strike against Benfica in the second leg of his side's Uefa Champions League knockout phase play-off tie with the Lisbon club.

The Japan international is now looking to net in a fourth consecutive game on Friday and while this run won't last forever, I think he's worth backing again this week at 7/4.

Reims shipped four goals at Lyon earlier this month and conceded three times at St Etienne in January; Samba Diawara's side now travel to a stadium where the ground tenants have struck 14 times across their last three league games.

Minamino has scored as many goals (three) in Ligue 1 as he has in the Champions League this season, meaning he is on six for the campaign, and seven shouldn't be too far around the corner.

Offers

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