Lille vs Nice

Stade Pierre-Mauroy sets the stage for a Ligue 1 top-five six-pointer between Lille and Nice. 

No matter how this game ends, Lille will improve on last season’s fifth-place finish. However, finishing fourth would force them into the Champions League qualifying as they need a win here to pip Brest to third, though it’ll also require Toulouse to avoid a humbling against Eric Roy’s surprise package. With manager Paulo Fonseca emerging as a potential candidate for the AC Milan job, bowing out in style will be at the forefront of the Portuguese coach’s mind. He has already masterminded home victories against Brest, Monaco, and Lens this season, suggesting Nice’s visit to Stade Pierre-Mauroy should be another day in the office for Lille. Adding to this sentiment, Les Dogues boast the division’s joint-best home record in Ligue 1 this season (W11, D3, L2).

Meanwhile, Nice’s last chance to interfere in the top-four race vanished in thin air in midweek as they lost 2-1 at home to understrength PSG, relinquishing a five-game unbeaten league run (W3, D2). Back on the road, Los Aiglons can draw confidence from avoiding defeat on their last four Ligue 1 travels (W2, D2), with three of those four matches featuring over 3.5 goals and both teams scoring. Recent visits to Lille have been fruitful for Nice as they’ve registered back-to-back wins in away H2Hs after going winless in three such fixtures beforehand (D1, L2). The pressure is off after in-demand coach Francesco Farioli inspired the club from the French Riviera to their first Europa League qualification since 2020/21.