Lille welcome Marseille to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with both teams looking to maintain the pressure on the frontrunners. The hosts often impress at home, while the visitors are showing some good form at the moment.
Lille have caught the eye lately, winning their last three matches in all competitions. They claimed a 1-0 victory at Le Havre in their previous fixture, with Hamza Igamane’s late effort earning them all three points.
Sitting just five points off the pace, Lille will be keen to maintain their good form and increase the pressure on the frontrunners. Bruno Genesio's men are back at the Pierre-Mauroy, where they have won their last four matches in all competitions.
Marseille are also enjoying a solid campaign as they sit third in the table, two points off the pace. Roberto De Zerbi's men are unbeaten in six of their last seven matches in all competitions, playing out a 2-2 home draw with Toulouse last time out in Ligue 1.
Having dropped points at home last weekend, Marseille will be keen to get things back on track. They have shown some quality on their recent travels, winning four of their last five away matches in the league.
How the bookies view it: Closely fought encounter
The bookies appear to be expecting a closely fought contest, with a win for Lille priced at 8/5 by Betfred, while Paddy Power are also offering 8/5 for a Marseille victory. A draw is set at odds of 5/2 by bet365.
Head to head: Upper hand for Marseille
Marseille have a 22-12 advantage, with 15 draws in the last 48 previous matches against Lille. Both teams met three times last season across Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, with all three fixtures ending in 1-1 draws.
Players to watch: Igamane's home run
Hamza Igamane often brings the quality for Lille at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, having scored five goals in the last six home matches. The forward will be keen to maintain that run (Hamza Igamane anytime goalscorer – valued at 21/10 by William Hill).
Mason Greenwood is the leading scorer for Marseille, having scored 10 Ligue 1 goals this season. The forward will be the one to watch for the visitors (Mason Greenwood anytime goalscorer – priced at 9/5 by Paddy Power).
Probable line-ups:
Olivier Giroud came off with an injury in Lille's win over Le Havre and should miss this clash, while Ayyoub Bouaddi is suspended. Igamane was Giroud’s replacement and should start on Friday, with Chancel Mbemba set to feature at the back.
Amine Gouiri remains out for Marseille with a shoulder problem, while Michael Murillo is also likely to miss out. Aubameyang is expected to lead the line once again, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg should retain his place in midfield.
Lille: Ozer, Meunier, Ngoy, Mbemba, Perraud, Bentaleb, Andre, Mukau, Correia, Sahraoui, Igamane.
Marseille: Rulli, Weah, Pavard, Aguerd, Emerson, Nadir, Hojbjerg, Paixao, Gomes, Greenwood, Aubameyang.
Anything else catch the eye?
Four of Lille's last five matches have produced over 3.5 goals – available at 9/5 on William Hill, who are also offering 8/11 for over 2.5 goals. They have also opened the scoring in three of the last four matches at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Lille to score first – set at odds of 19/20 by Betfred).
Three of the last four matches between both teams have produced more second-half goals (Second-half highest scoring half – priced at 19/20 by Ladbrokes).
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