Monaco will be keen to maintain top spot as they host Lille in a Friday night Ligue 1 fixture. The Monegasques have been impressive this season and should have the upper hand over their visitors, who have not been too convincing on their travels.
Monaco climbed to the top of the Ligue 1 standings prior to the international break after claiming a 2-1 victory at Rennes. Thilo Kehrer and Folarin Balogun were on target in the first half and they were able to hold on for the win.
It has been an overall impressive campaign for Monaco, who are yet to taste defeat across all competitions. Adi Hutter’s men have been particularly solid at home and have won their last three matches in front of their fans, although there have been no clean sheets in that run.
Lille were also showing some quality prior to the international break as they claimed three straight wins. They triumphed 2-1 over Toulouse in their previous Ligue 1 fixture with Angel Gomes and Mitchel Bakker getting the goals.
The problem for Lille is that they have been a bit on convincing on their travels, losing three of their last four away matches. However, Bruno Genesio’s men did claim a 3-0 victory at Le Havre in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it: Upper hand for Monaco
Monaco have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 9/10 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Lille is valued at 13/5 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 12/5 for a draw.
Head to head: Slight edge for Monaco
Monaco have a 21-15 edge with 16 draws from 51 previous matches against Lille. The Monegasques also claimed a 1-0 victory in the last meeting back in April.
Players to watch: Ben Seghir to step up
In the absence of Balogun, Eliesse Ben Seghir could shoulder more attacking responsibility for Monaco. The forward has two goals this season and could be backed to find the net on Friday at 5/2 with Betfred.
As always Lille will look to Jonathan David to provide the spark going forward on Friday. The striker has five Ligue 1 goals this season and is priced at 7/4 by Betfred to get on the score sheet once again.
Provable line-ups
Balogun suffered a shoulder injury on international duty and is set for a spell on the sidelines for Monaco. Breel Embolo is likely to start as the lone man in attack with Ben Seghir and Takumi Minamino providing support.
Lille also have injury problems of their own with Ethan Mbappe, Nabil Bentaleb and Samuel Umtiti all sidelined while Benjamin Andre is suspended. David should start in attack while Andre Gomes is set to continue in midfield.
Monaco: Kohn, Singo, Kehrer, Mawissa, Vanderson, Camara, Zakaria, Ouattara, Minamino, Ben Seghir, Embolo
Lille: Chevalier, Gudmundsson, Ribeiro, Diakite, Meunier, Gomes, Bouaddi, Sahraoi, Gomes, Zhegrova, David
Anything else catch the eye?
Monaco and Lille have quality in attack and could be set to serve up goals on Friday. Over 3.5 goals is priced at 7/4 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 8/11 for over 2.5 goals.
Having scored in both halves in their last three home matches, Monaco could be set for a similar pattern at 7/4 with Betfred.
This French Ligue 1 match between Monaco and Lille will be played on Oct 18, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Monaco vs Lille prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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