Lille vs Metz – Lille hosts Metz at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Friday evening in the weekend’s first match. Both teams have underachieved in Ligue 1 this season.
The incumbent champions are languishing in midtable after a faltering title defense, while their opponents were relegated last weekend.
Lille won last weekend, bouncing back from a difficult couple of weeks that included a 2-0 setback to Brest and a 5-1 battering at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
Les Dogues won all three points in Montpellier as Xeka scored the game’s sole goal 13 minutes from time.
This victory propels Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side back into the top half of the table and, maybe shockingly, into the race for European football next season.
After back-to-back defeats for Les Aiglons, they are only two points behind fifth-placed Rennes and seven points behind former manager Christophe Galtier’s Nice side in third.
Metz has struggled in the winter months, with only two victories compared to six defeats since the beginning of December.
They have only scored twice in their last five games and were unable to beat fourth-tier Bergerac Perigord in the Coupe de France.
However, one of those came in Sunday’s match against Marseille, and Les Grenats were unlucky not to pick up at least a point against the league’s second-placed team.
Early in the second half, Habib Maiga rightly leveled the match after Cedric Bakambu’s opener, only for Arkadiusz Milik’s magic to secure a 2-1 victory for OM and send Metz to 19th place.
Lille vs Metz – Team News:
Renato Sanches and Isaac Lihadji will not play for Lille because they are recovering from groin and thigh ailments, respectively.
Jonathan David, the league’s joint-second leading scorer, has gone five games without scoring in the league – though he did score two goals in three games for Canada in the middle of that stretch – and will be anxious to get back on the scoresheet.
He’ll most likely play alongside Angel Gomes in the front two, while Burak Yilmaz is also vying for a starting spot. Five players are currently in the medical room for the visitors, who have far greater injury concerns.
Nicolas De Preville (calf), Fabien Centonze (thigh), Kevin N’Doram (foot), Matthieu Udol (ACL), and Manuel Cabit (long-term leg injuries) are all out.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Jardim, Celik, Fonte, Botman, Djalo; Gudmundsson, Andre, Yilmaz, Bamba; Gomes, David
Metz possible starting lineup:
Caillard; Bronn, Kouyate, Amadou, Cande; Traore, Pajot, Delaine; Boulaya; Mafouta, Niane
Lille vs Metz – Head-to-Head:
Our Prediction: Under 3.5 Goals
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