Ligue 1 | Gameweek 9

Oct 26, 2024 at 8pm UK

Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Lens vs Lille

Match preview

Lille showed they meant business when they beat two Madrid teams in quick succession. They proved they weren't a one-off when they repeated their feat against their city rivals Atlético at the Wanda Metropolitano midweek.

Julian Álvarez scored in the eighth minute, but it wasn't a sign of things to come for Diego Simeone's side. They lost to a Jonathan David brace and a curling effort from his fellow substitute Edon Zhegrova, which took them another step closer to the knockout rounds.

Atlético had every right to feel a bit hard done by – two of Lille's goals took significant deflections and the other was a controversially-awarded David penalty – but the manner of the goals didn't dampen Les Dogues' celebrations in the Spanish capital.

The 2020-21 Ligue 1 champions are on a hot streak of form both continentally and domestically. They've now gone six matches without a loss across all competitions. They also drew 0-0 with title-challenging Monaco in Ligue 1 last weekend. That leaves them in fourth place in the rankings.

It's been a while since Lille failed to score in two straight Ligue 1 games. In fact, it's been since the end of the 2022-23 campaign. And with a record of just one conceded from their last three on the road in all tournaments, the Madrid conquerors are in a good position.

Lens couldn't get into Europe this season, losing to Panathinaikos in the Conference League qualifiers over the summer. They've benefited from the absence of continental football as they chase a top-four finish in 2024-25.

Will Still's team are just one of three Ligue 1 teams still unbeaten after eight games, alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco. However, only three of those contests have ended in victory for Les Sang et Or, who have been the stalemate specialists with five draws to their name already.

Between 1 September and 6 October, Lens drew with Monaco, Lyon, Rennes, Nice and Strasbourg. They finally ended their sequence of stalemates at Saint-Étienne last weekend, where Przemysław Frankowski and Rémy Labeau Lascary scored either side of half-time.

Going back to last season, the fifth-placed hosts have now gone 11 Ligue 1 matches without defeat since losing to Marseille in April. Five of the last six teams to visit the Stade Bollaert-Delelis have failed to score past a solid Lens defence.

Lens and Lille have also had a lot of draws in their recent head-to-head games. The last two on Lens's turf ended 1-1, but Lille have won their last two at home. That makes it four unbeaten games against Saturday's hosts.

Recent Performance

Lens Ligue 1 form:DDDDDW

Lille Ligue 1 form:LLDWWD

Lille form (all competitions):DWWWDW

Injuries and suspensions

Lens

16 Hervé Koffi

2 Ruben Aguilar

19 Jimmy Cabot

9 Martín Satriano

22 Wesley Saïd

27 Sidi Bane

23 Neil El Aynaoui

Lille

14 Samuel Umtiti

20 Mitchel Bakker

31 Ismaily

22 Tiago Santos

6 Nabil Bentaleb

29 Ethan Mbappé

10 Rémy Cabella

7 Hákon Arnar Haraldsson

Team News

Lille's memorable win against Atlético in midweek came at a cost, with creative hub Remy Cabella being taken off in the 16th minute with a suspected thigh problem, adding to Genesio's unenviable injury crisis.

The Dogues' head coach is also missing Samuel Umtiti (knee), Ethan Mbappe (thigh), Ismaily (knee), Nabil Bentaleb (heart), Hakon Arnar Haraldsson (foot), Tiago Santos (ACL), Mitchel Bakker (muscle) and Ayyoub Bouaddi (calf). These players' feats in Madrid are all the more commendable, although the latter has a slim chance of being back.

Cabella's absence should mean Zhegrova gets a chance up front, while David will probably take Mohamed Bayo's spot at the tip of the attack. There's also a chance that new England international Angel Gomes will be recalled to the midfield.

Lens aren't in a great position fitness-wise either, as Deiver Machado (thigh), Martin Satriano (ACL), Jimmy Cabot (knee), Neil El Aynaoui (muscle), Herve Koffi (back), Sidi Bane (hamstring) and Ruben Aguilar (shoulder) are all out of the running for this one.

Still's side came through the Saint-Etienne game without any fresh concerns, and 21-year-old Lascary should be in the reckoning for a start after coming off the bench to score his first Ligue 1 goal last weekend.

Veteran Florian Sotoca has been a cornerstone of the Lens attack during their rise to stardom, but his spot is by no means secure. The 33-year-old is without a goal or assist in the Ligue 1 campaign so far.

Possible starting lineups

Lens possible starting lineup:

Samba; Danso, Medina, Khusanov; Frankowski, Diouf, Thomasson, Chavez; Fulgini; Sotoca, Nzola

Lille possible starting lineup:

Chevalier; Alexsandro, Mandi, Diakite; Meunier, Gomes, Andre, Gudmundsson; Zhegrova, David, Sahraoui