Ligue 1 returns on Friday evening as table-toppers Monaco welcome Lille to the Stade Louis II. Monaco recently leapfrogged the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain into top spot before the international break, and Lille make the trip bearing confidence from an excellent European win.
Match Preview
Excellently started this season, Monaco’s campaign was really slowed down by the October international break. Adi Hutter’s men were resilient before the pause, winning a tight away game against Rennes 2-1 to climb to the top of Ligue 1, and it gets even better as PSG’s slip-up against Nice means Monaco is now two points clear at the summit. It is the best Monaco start after seven games with 19 points since the 1960-61 season when they eventually won the league.
Historically, Monaco have started a season unbeaten through seven games on only three other occasions. Beyond the 1960-61 campaign, they did so in 1979-80 and 2013-14 but ultimately missed out on the title in those years.
The fact that Monaco managed to pull off a dramatic last-minute comeback against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League only a couple of days before their win over Rennes underlines their grit this season. With the result, they maintained their unbeaten run, and Friday’s game presents an opportunity to extend that into 10 games.
Monaco will also be confident on home soil as they are unbeaten in their last 10 Ligue 1 matches at the Stade Louis II. They can also lean on their good form against Lille, as they have never lost to the northerners in 12 past home matches. However, Lille can draw some inspiration from knowing that they won 3-0 here in the 2019 Coupe de France.
Despite a patchy spell in the middle of the season, when Lille had lost four matches on the trot, their form has bounced back very well. A thrilling 3-3 draw against Strasbourg, followed by back-to-back Ligue 1 wins over Le Havre and Toulouse, have catapulted them within a point of the Champions League spots.
Arguably their high point was in Europe, a sensational 1-0 win over Real Madrid at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. The momentum didn’t end there as Lille sealed a victory against Toulouse just before the break with Angel Gomes and Mitchel Bakker scoring following the comeback from 1-0 down.
Lille have scored in 20 of their last 22 league games, but they will be aware that Monaco are one of only two teams to shut them out during this run with a 1-0 win last April.
Recent Form
Monaco Ligue 1 form:
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Monaco (all competitions):
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Lille Ligue 1 form:
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Lille (all competitions):
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Team News
Monaco do, however, have the injured Edan Diop to contend with, while the international break has left a number of players potentially tired. Vanderson and Takumi Minamino have banked considerable travel miles, returning from South America and Asia respectively, while Eliesse Ben Seghir played for Morocco as they traveled to the Central African Republic.
Club captain Denis Zakaria missed Switzerland’s recent matches and remains a doubt for this fixture, although Thilo Kehrer is available after being omitted from the German squad.
For Lille, Edon Zhegrova continues to shine for his nation and was recently Man of the Match for Kosovo as they defeated Lithuania. However Jonathan David is a doubt after playing for Canada in a midweek fixture against Panama. For Lille, the absentees are Benjamin Andre, who is suspended, while Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, Ismaily, and Samuel Umtiti remain on the treatment table.
Predicted Lineups
Monaco possible starting XI:
Kohn; Singo, Salisu, Kehrer, Caio Henrique; Magassa, Camara; Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir; Embolo
Lille possible starting XI:
Chevalier; Tiago Santos, Diakite, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson, Bakker; Angel Gomes, Andre Gomes, Bouaddi; Zhegrova, David
