Fresh from their win against champions PSG, Lille travel to the Stade Saint-Symphorien for a Friday night French Ligue 1 clash against Metz. They have impressed on their travels this season and should be too strong for a struggling Metz side.
Lille will be brimming with confidence at the moment following their 1-0 victory at PSG in their previous Ligue 1 fixture. Jonathan David scored the only goal early in the contest and put up a solid defensive showing to keep the champions at bay.
It was a good way to bounce back for Christophe Galtier’s men who had failed to win in their previous two matches. They have now returned to the top of the table with a three-point lead over the chasing pack.
Lille have surprisingly fared much better on the road this season with just one away defeat throughout the campaign. They have won eight of their last nine away matches, keeping clean sheets in six of the last seven.
Metz are coming off a 4-0 defeat at Monaco last time out in Ligue 1. They were no match for the hosts and finished with just a single attempt on target throughout the 90 minutes.
The season appears to be slowly grinding to a halt for Metz who sit in mid-table, well away from the relegation zone and chasing a little further up the table. They were also knocked out of the Coupe de France by Monaco on Tuesday.
Metz have struggled in recent weeks with three defeats in their last four matches. Frédéric Antonetti's men have also been poor at the Stade Saint-Symphorien, where they are currently on a three-match losing streak.
How the bookies view it
Lille are favourites among the bookies and are priced at 4/5 by SBK to secure the win. A victory for Metz is priced at 22/5 by Vbet, while betway is offering 13/5 for a draw.
With Metz struggling at the moment, even at home, I am backing Lille to claim the win on Friday.
Head to head
Lille have 15 wins from 27 previous matches, with Metz claiming just four victories. There have been eight draws between both teams while Lille triumphed 1-0 in the reverse fixture.
Player to watch
Jonathan David often carries the attacking threat for Lille and netted the winner against PSG. The forward is valued at 6/4 by bet365 to score anytime while striker Burak Yilmaz is also worth keeping an eye on in the same market at 5/8 with Unibet.
Lille are often solid defensively on the road with centre backs Jose Fonte and Sven Botman helping them to six clean sheets in their last seven away matches. Both men will once again be key to another clean sheet which is valued at evens by bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Lille’s fine defensive record on the road means a win to nil could be in play at 8/5 with Sporting Index. A -1 handicap bet might also be worth considering at 23/10 with betfair.
Six of Burak Yilmaz's nine goals have been the opener and it could be worth a punt backing the Turkish striker to score first at 23/5 with Unibet.
This French Ligue 1 match between FC Metz and Lille will be played on Apr 9, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best FC Metz vs Lille prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
