Beaten in Nantes, Les Aiglons will have the chance to get back on track this Sunday when they play host to Stade de Reims ( 13:00), tough opponents currently occupying fifth place on the Ligue 1 table. Ahead of the clash, we take a look at some of the 'matches within the match'.

The managers' match

Sunday's duel will pit the two youngest coaches in Ligue 1 Uber Eats in season 2023-24 against each other: Francesco Farioli (34) for Le Gym and Will Still (31) for Reims. Over and above their good results, the Tuscan strategist and the Anglo-Belgian technician - in charge of the team since October 2022 - are united by their ability to start strongly, as the following stat proves: 

Francesco Farioli lost at Nantes after 13 matches without defeat (eight wins, five draws). Only Thomas Tuchel with Paris (20) and... Will Still (17) started Ligue 1 with a longer run before suffering their first defeat.

The captains' clash

Dante and Yunis Abdelhamid are both left-footed central defenders with international experience, and both have been performing at a consistently high level for a number of seasons. The 40-year-old Dante, who has been with the club since 2016, could be playing in his 262nd match in a red-and-black shirt this Sunday, at the heart of the most hermetic defence in the top flight ( five goals conceded). At Reims since 2017, the Atlas Lion currently has 237. 

Neither man has missed a minute of action in Ligue 1 since the start of the current season.

The strikers' scuffle

The top scorers from Nice and Reims at the start of the season both have four goals to their name. Terem Moffi, an out-and-out striker who plays either up front or on the right flank, found the back of the net in the last match at Plaine du Var, against Toulouse (R13, 1-0). The Super Eagle has also made two assists so far this season. He has scored 13 goals since joining the club last winter.

As for Reims, their top scorer is also the playmaker: Teddy Teuma. A summer arrival from Union Saint-Gilloise, the Toulon-born Maltese international has enjoyed his first taste of L1 with SDR, after having shone in Belgium between 2019 and 2023. In France, the No.10 played for Hyères, Boulogne and Red Star, before his Belgian adventure and debut in L1.  

Form face-off

Finally, Sunday's clash will pit the team with the fewest losses in L1, Gym (one defeat, like Paris), against the team with the fewest draws, Reims (two). 

Les Aiglons have won eight, drawn five and lost one this season, having come unstuck 1-0 at Nantes on Saturday. Reims, meanwhile, have won six, drawn two and lost five. They beat Strasbourg 2-1 in their last outing. 

It should be noted that six points separate Le Gym (second, 29 points) and SDR (fifth, 23) at the start of Round 15.

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