Ligue 1 | Gameweek 11

Nov 10, 2024 at 2pm UK

Allianz Riviera

Nicevs.Lille

Match preview

On paper, Nice will have been more disappointed at being held on the continent, as they are unable to get their Europa League campaign up and running at present. The 2-2 draw with Twente on Thursday means they are still waiting for their first win in the competition.

When you look at it in context, it was a great result for Franck Haise's team, given the circumstances.

Nice were 2-0 down and after pulling a goal back, they were then reduced to 10 men when Sofiane Diop was sent off. But they kept going and Mohamed-Ali Cho netted a late leveller to salvage a point.

It was also a good result for OGC, who have had a tough run in the Europa League recently. They were thumped by Lazio and surprisingly defeated away to Ferencvaros in their last two games. This result extends a worrying run of just one win in 13 Europa League games, where they have lost 10. They remain down in 31st, level on points with debutants RFS.

On the home front, Nice are looking like the biggest threat to break into the top four, sitting just two points back in fifth.

Two back-to-back wins saw Haise's men end Monaco's unbeaten start and beat Champions League dark horses Brest last weekend. Evann Guessand was the key man, scoring in both games.

Nice have had a lot of draws this season, especially at home. Four of their six home games have ended up as draws. This is a fixture that is no stranger to a deadlock.

Over the past 20 years, no fixture has ended in a draw more often than this one. In fact, there have been 18 draws between the sides, including both last season.

Nice won both games against Lille during the 2022-23 season, but that's the only home win they've had in the last five attempts.

Lille will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to 10 games after they proved a challenge for another European giant in the Champions League midweek.

After beating Real Madrid at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on matchday two, the Lille fans were hoping to beat Juventus too. They were leading at half time thanks to Jonathan David, but Dusan Vlahovic's penalty saw the game end 1-1.

Winning seven points from some pretty tough games against Real, Atlético Madrid and Juventus suggests Lille are in with a chance of making the knockout stage. They're currently 14th in the 36-team standings.

Based on their start to the season in Ligue 1, it looks like Bruno Genesio's men are in a good position to return to Europe's top-tier next season. They're currently in the top four with 18 points, having lost just twice in their 10 games so far.

Lille have been particularly impressive away from home, averaging two points per game and only conceding once in five matches. They've also kept three straight clean sheets.

Recent Performance

Nice Ligue 1 form:

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Nice form (all competitions):

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Lille Ligue 1 form:

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Lille form (all competitions):

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Team News

There was a lot of rotation in the Nice side for their clash with Twente on Thursday. Guessand, Jeremie Boga, Jonathan Clauss, and the saviour Cho were all kept on the bench, with those four all expected to start.

Youssoufa Moukoko and Gaetan Laborde will be trying to get a start in attack, but neither of them really stood out when they had their chance in midweek. Now that Diop has been sent off, there's a chance we'll see a whole new front three.

It's not looking good for Antoine Mendy for the hosts, and they'll definitely be without Hichem Boudaoui, Morgan Sanson, Terem Moffi and Mohamed Abdelmonem.

After leaving David and Edon Zhegrova on the bench for the match against Atlético, Lille boss Genesio said that the derby against Lens was more important. He had both players in from the start against Juventus, and they continued their impressive form, linking up for the opening goal.

Lille were at full strength, so it's likely we'll see a similar XI, especially if Gomes fails a late fitness test.

Ismaily is on the mend from a knee injury, but the list of injured defenders is pretty long. It includes Samuel Umtiti, Thomas Meunier, Tiago Santos, Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, Nabil Bentaleb and Remy Cabella.

Possible starting lineups

Nice possible starting lineup:

Bulka; Ndayishimiye, Bombito, Dante; Clauss, Rosario, Ndombele, Abdi; Cho, Guessand, Boga

Lille possible starting lineup:

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