Monaco vs Lille

An exciting Ligue 1 encounter pits Monaco and Lille against each other at Stade Louis II this weekend.

When it looked like the wheels were falling off, a once well-oiled Monaco machine found the way to end a two-game losing Ligue 1 run with a 2-1 victory at rock-bottom Angers last weekend and preserve faint hopes of catching a third-placed Marseille. But with only four games left, ‘Los Monégasques’ cannot afford another slip-up if they’re to stand a chance of closing a six-point gap between the sides. Lille’s visit to the French principality doesn’t bode well, considering Philippe Clement’s men have failed to win four of their last five Ligue 1 H2Hs (D2, L2). On top of that, they’ve only accrued five points against sides starting this round in the top five this season (W1, D2, L4), fewer than any other European-pursuing team.

Visiting Lille slumped to a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat at Reims last time out, ending a decent-looking run of three unbeaten league matches (W2, D1) and probably destroying their hopes of securing a top-three finish. But Europa League qualification is still on the cards, as they trail fourth-placed Monaco by five points at the start of this round. Anything other than victory would likely curtail those aspirations too, but ‘Les Dogues’ don’t look capable of upsetting Stade Louis II. Indeed, Paulo Fonseca’s men have only won once on their last six Ligue 1 travels (D2, L3), netting under 1.5 goals four times in this stretch. Lille must strive for greater consistency in their away matches if they’re to secure a spot on the European stage next season. Their previous 12 top-flight away results have all varied from one another (W4, D3, L5), highlighting the need for stability and more reliable performances on the road.