The Ligue 1 campaign is back underway following their winter break as every single club in the top flight attempts to get 2024 off to a great start. There’s still a whole lot to play for at both ends of the table and given what we know about this division, we should expect the unexpected. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun clash between Lille and Lorient.
Lille Form GuideWe are a few years removed from the heroics of Lille winning Ligue One and ever since then, they haven’t quite been able to sustain the momentum they built for themselves. That doesn’t mean they haven’t got a good base or a good squad - far from it. What it does mean, however, is that they need to start thinking outside of the box if they want to compete with the big boys.
After beating Metz and drawing to Clermont, Lille picked up a comfortable 3-0 win over KI Klaksvik before an honourable 1-1 draw at home to PSG. They did lose to Strasbourg just three days later, but in the Coupe de France, they made quite the statement by embarrassing Golden Lion 12-0.
Lorient Form GuideLorient looked far more composed last season than they did the year prior when they found themselves edging towards the relegation zone. In terms of expectations, it’s not uncalled for to suggest that there aren’t many on their shoulders right now. A cup run and a potential push for the top half is on the table, but based on recent evidence, just surviving would be good enough.
Outside of a 1-1 draw away to Toulouse, Lorient’s fortunes haven’t looked good as of late. They have lost five of their last six with the following sides getting the better of them: Metz, Marseille, Strasbourg, Brest, and even Sochaux in the cup.
Match PredictionLille are going to be the favourites for this one but either way, we don’t think they’re going to blow Lorient out of the water - far from it, in fact. We believe this is going to be pretty tight throughout and in terms of a prediction, we’re going to shoot for under 2.5 goals scored.
