Lille bounced back from the heavy trashing from PSG with a valiant effort against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. But the team is in a tough spot in Ligue 1 and needs a better performance against Montpellier on Saturday.
Lille's form is far from ideal, with the team recording five losses in its last 10 matches in all competitions. They got knocked out of the cup competition and are in danger of not qualifying for the Champions League next season. Their defensive play is as strong as ever, but they are lagging behind in scoring goals next to the other teams in the fight for the top positions.
Luckily they have a game against the weakest team in the league. Montpellier are levels below all other teams in Ligue 1 and at this stage are almost certain to get relegated at the end of the season. They still have 10 rounds left to make a difference but are currently seven points away from salvation. They recorded five consecutive league losses in which they scored just one goal.
How the bookies view it: An easy one for the Mastiffs?
The bookmakers aren't giving the visitors many chances and expect Lille to be just another team that dominates them. You can pick the hosts at 2/5 and the visitors at 13/5. The draw is priced at 15/4.
Recent head to head: One-sided is an understatement
Montpellier are one of Lille's favourite rivals, although the Mastiffs have failed to beat them in their last two games. The first meeting between the teams this season ended in a surprising 2-2 draw. But aside from the last two draws, Lille had five straight wins against this rival. Montpellier's last H2H win was back in 2017.
Players to watch: David to get closer to the all-time record
There is a 25-year-old Canadian in Lille's squad who is just eight goals away from becoming the club's all-time top goalscorer. Jonathan David is having another huge season with the team, with 21 goals already. The last few games have not been his strongest, although he did score the honourable goal against PSG. But instead, he has five goals in the last five games against Montpellier, including two in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
And if Bruno Genesio decides to give his star a rest ahead of the rematch with Dortmund, we suggest targeting Chuba Akpom. The Englishman doesn't get much game time but has two goals in his four Ligue 1 appearances this season.
Probable line-ups
Lille: Chevalier, Gudmundsson, Diakite, Alexsandro, Meunier, Bentaleb, Andre, Bakker, Mukau, Gomes, David
Montpellier: Lecomte, Meite, Tchato, Kouyate, Sagnan, SAinte-Luce, Ferri, Svanier, Chotard, Khazri, Delort
Anything else catch the eye?
Lille's form is not ideal, but the team is on a completely different level than the visitors, who struggle against every opponent. It's hard to expect anything other than a home triumph, though Lille are probably thinking more about their Champions League rematch. Most meetings between these teams in recent years have failed to impress with goal spectacles, but we now expect a strong performance from the hosts.
Montpellier simply have too many key players in the infirmary and their defensive play is below any criticism. They have conceded 14 goals in the last five rounds and at least two in every single game. We expect Lille to take the three points with a result like 2-1 or 3-1.
This French Ligue 1 match between Lille and Montpellier will be played on and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Lille vs Montpellier prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
