Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Coupe de France match.
AS Monaco might have had a challenging start to 2025, but the successes achieved under their coaching staff in the first half of the season should not be overshadowed. Heading into the cup tie against Reims, the team are the clear favourites, benefitting from their opponent’s recent dip in form and leaky defence this January.
Reims
Reims began the year with a painful defeat to AS Saint-Étienne (1:3), during a match where their opponents accumulated 2.13 xG with 14 shots over 90 minutes. Last weekend, they succumbed to another loss against OGC Nice (2:4), facing 2.41 xGA, extending their winless streak in Ligue 1 to five matches — now sitting just four points away from the play-off zone. Reims miss their injured star forward, Mohamed Daramy, and their defence has been fortunate with opponents' poor finishing, having an expected 30.67 conceded but only 25 actual goals against them.
AS Monaco
A draw with Nantes (2:2) on Friday demonstrated that AS Monaco are not yet contenders to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the title. They boast the second-best xG in the league (36.60), although the likes of Folarin Balogun, Krépin Diatta, and Takumi Minamino's absences have left Breel Embolo carrying the attacking burden largely alone. Aleksandr Golovin is likely to miss the Coupe de France match due to illness, but AS Monaco have a deep bench from which to draw.
Reims vs AS Monaco Prediction
A month ago, Reims managed to hold AS Monaco to a goalless draw (0:0) in Ligue 1 without registering a shot on target. However, AS Monaco are more skilful and expected to progress to the next round — backing the guests with a handicap.
