Lille vs Lyon

February 27, 2015
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Out-of-sorts Lille will be out to arrest their slide down the Ligue 1 standings when they host leaders Lyon, but that is obviously going to be a very difficult task. Les Gones remained at the top of the standings by defeating Nantes and will fancy their chances of winning at Grand Stade Lille Metropole.

Are Lille in danger of getting relegated?

Lille have spent last seven or eight years in the very top of French football, securing Champions League and Europa League berths and proving a tough nut to crack even of eventual champions. However, things are not going according to plan this term and following some disappointing result, les Dogues are currently much closer to the relegation zone than the European positions. This is not that surprising when we know that star players have been leaving the club for several years now, while their replacements were not exactly of the same quality. Poor scoring record has proved to be Lille’s biggest problem this season, as they bagged mere 21 goals in 26 league fixtures, and also failed to score a single goal in last three home games, losing to Monaco and PSG before sharing spoils with Nice. With Divock Origi already thinking about his next club Liverpool and Nolan Roux scoring just three league goals, les Dogues are not exactly in a position to hope for a positive result ahead of the clash with the league leaders. The lack of confidence is also affecting team’s performance and it appears the dismal home run is set to continue.

Djibril Sidibe returns from suspension, but Marvin Martin, Michael Frey and Adama Soumarou are out injured.

A historic opportunity

Seven straight league titles between 2002 and 2008 remain the record that is unlikely to be broken any time soon, but with Lyon having failed to lift the coveted trophy before or after said period, they are rightly very motivated to take advantage of the opportunity that presented itself this season. Club’s decision to turn towards youth academy rather than spending piles of cash on expensive signings has proved spot on, and while everybody looked at PSG and Marseille, they have sneaked into the top of the standings. Led by red-hot Alexandre Lacazette, and with players like Nabil Fekir, Corentin Tolisso and Maxime Gonalons chipping in, Lyon have recorded some amazing results in the league, and they currently sit two points clear at the top of the standings. Following the run of three straight draws, it was incredibly important for les Gones to return to the right track as soon as possible and they did well to overcome very good Nantes side even with Maxime Gonalons missing a penalty. Having said that, this is definitely the right time to be facing out-of-form Lille and I certainly wouldn’t bet against Lyon winning this game.

The visitors should have important defender Christophe Jallet back from injury, but Gueida Fofana, Clement Grenier and Arnold Mvuemba are not yet ready to return.

Verdict

Lille’s position in the bottom part of the standings is no accident as that is exactly what les Dogues deserved with their latest performances and after losing to both Monaco and PSG at home, they are unlikely to fare any better against in-form Lyon. Les Gones are brimming with confidence at the moment and I can see them winning at Grand Stade Lille Metropole.

Top pick: Lyon Draw no bet   1.91 (10/11) @ Betfred

Alternative pick 1: Lille not to score   2.75 (7/4) @ Coral

Alternative pick 2: Away win   2.80 (9/5) @ BetVictor

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