Stade Reims - Lens preview - Valdivia expects Reims to be tired

Lens midfielder Pierrick Valdivia believes Reims may be suffering after their Coupe de France exit ahead of their Ligue 1 clash on Sunday.

Reims were held to a 1-1 draw with Rennes in the 10th round of the cup on Thursday after extra time, with Rennes edging the match 5-4 on penalties, and Valdivia thinks there could be fatigue among Jean-Luc Vasseur's ranks.

"It will be a tough game," Valdivia told Lens' official website. "Reims are a very good team that play good football. There will be a lot of the Reims side absent and we will go there with good intentions.

"They played 120 minutes and then participated in the penalty shootout. They ended up finishing very late and they will have had less recovery time than us.

"I do not know if this will affect the match but it will weigh heavy in the legs of Reims.

"You have to go there with the same intentions as we have since the beginning of the year: Play our football and have a very good attitude."

Lens, who are second bottom in the overall standings, have not won since the 2-0 victory over Nice on December 19 and have only tasted victory five times in the league this season.

Reims manager Vasseur was left frustrated after the exit on penalties, but then looked ahead to the return to Ligue 1 action against Lens.

"We were not sharp enough but I liked the spirit of the team," Vasseur told stade-de-reims.com.

"With extra time, we will have a bit of a short recovery time for Sunday."