Lille vs Lyon

Lille’s 200th Ligue 1 match at their famous Stade Pierre-Mauroy pits them against fierce rivals Lyon.

Lille’s rise up the Ligue 1 ladder took a minor blow last weekend as they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Lens, bookending a patchy three-game league form (W1, D1, L1). However, LOSC’s pursuit of another European finish is still alive and kicking, with only one point separating them from the top five ahead of this round. Back to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, where they’ve not lost since August (W9, D3), ‘Les Dogues’ will be confident about extending an eye-catching 15-game home form against visiting Lyon (W7, D7, L1). Connoisseurs of action-packed football may want to look elsewhere for entertainment, considering Lille’s last three home league meetings with this opposition have featured under 2.5 goals (W1, D2).

On the other hand, Lyon’s frustrating mid-table struggle continued with a tepid 0-0 home draw against Lorient last time out, leaving them seven points adrift of fifth-placed Rennes at the start of this round. Worryingly for head coach Laurent Blanc, his men have lost all four previous away league encounters against sides entering the given matchday in the top seven, each time succumbing to a single-goal margin loss. On a more positive note, ‘Les Gones’ ran out 1-0 victors in the reverse fixture, snapping an abysmal streak of 11 consecutive top-flight H2Hs without winning (D5, L6). Lyon’s recent away form is another reason for optimism because they’ve been victorious on three of their last four league travels (L1), beating their hosts on the day by a two-goal margin on each occasion.