FEATURE | Reims must prioritise relegation play-offs over Coupe de France glory | OneFootball

The nightmare scenario that Stade de Reims dreaded is now a reality. Beginning on Wednesday, the Champagne club will fight to remain in Ligue 1 when they travel to Stade Saint-Symphorien for the opening leg of their relegation play-off tie with FC Metz.

Three days later, they will play one of the most meaningful matches in club history when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France final at the Stade de France. Reims have won three trophies this century, all in lower domestic competitions, but none have nearly as much significance as the Coupe de France.

As much as it would mean to this club to win that competition for the first time since the 1957-58 season, Samba Diawara may have to prioritise top-flight survival above that. It’s not what many of its loyal fans may want to hear, but the fact is that dropping down to Ligue 2 could have significant ramifications for the former six-time top-flight French champions.

Whilst the club possesses many talented players, they have fallen apart in the second half of this season. The early days under Luka Elsner were promising, with Reims in the hunt for Europe heading into the final month of 2024. The wheels have fallen off in 2025, with this side collecting just 13 points from 17 games in the second half of the competition. Elsner was sacked in early February as a result.

His successor, Samba Diawara, hasn’t fared any better, with Reims losing their final three domestic encounters of the season. Surviving relegation needs to be at the forefront of their minds as they could risk losing plenty of key players this summer should they go down to Ligue 2.

Junya Ito (32), Keito Nakamura (24), Oumar Diakité (21) and Yehvann Diouf (25) are all significant parts of this squad. Ito was the leading chance creator in Ligue 1 this season (83). Nakamura led them with 11 goals in Ligue 1, and Diakité was tied with Ito for second with four. Diouf, meanwhile, was first in the league for goals prevented (15.9) and third in save percentage (74.2).

Even though they are all under contract with the club beyond next season, should Reims get relegated, it’s entirely possible they will each want to move to a top-flight side that’ll want their services. All of them would likely draw interest from larger clubs as well, even if it comes with a fee, and their chances of playing for their respective World Cup teams, assuming the Ivory Coast and Senegal also qualify, would significantly increase.

Losing even one or two of those players, even for a loan move, could hurt the club’s chances of competing in Ligue 2 next season. We saw what happened when Marshall Munetsi (28) joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in the winter, as this team completely self-destructed without him. Even if the level in Ligue 2 is below Ligue 1, losing Ito, Nakamura, Diakité, and/or Diouf would be an even bigger disaster than the second half of this recently completed top-flight campaign was for them.

In an ideal world, Reims would win big in the opening leg of their relegation play-off on Wednesday, but given how poor they’ve been this year in the attacking third, even against lower-tiered teams, that’s difficult to imagine.

Diawara may be reluctant to leave some of their top players on the bench in the Coupe de France final, but surviving relegation and regrouping next season is more important. They need fresh players who have the energy required to fend off a Metz side desperate to return to the top-flight.

Even Reims’ top players will have a tough time against PSG’s secondary squad. Remaining in Ligue 1 should be the top priority. At the same time, PSG are preparing for the UEFA Champions League final, and it’s possible Luis Enrique won’t put his side’s best XI on the field in the Coupe de France final, seeing as they’ll be prioritising their Champions League match against Inter on May 31st.

That’s another reason for Diawara to follow suit and ensure he manages the minutes of his top players and gives some of them a rest. He’ll need them when they host Metz at Stade Auguste-Delaune on May 29 with their Ligue 1 fate on the line.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre