Lille aims for a spot in the Champions League group stage as they head to Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this Saturday.
Last Friday, PSG extended their lead at the top to eight points by beating Strasbourg 2-1, while Lille climbed to fourth after a 4-0 win against Clermont.
Match preview
After a brief hiccup with a 2-2 draw against Brest last month, PSG got back to winning form, pushing their unbeaten streak to 15 games.
They’re just one game short of their longest unbeaten run from last season and haven’t lost in their last seven home games.
Despite leading the table, PSG could have had a bigger lead, having dropped six points from leading positions in the latter half of this season.
They’ve struggled to win two of their four games right before the first leg of the Champions League’s last 16, with a match against Real Sociedad coming up next Wednesday.
PSG has kept eight clean sheets in 20 league games, matching their best defensive record since being bought by Qatar Sports Investments.
Since their 1-1 draw with Lille in December, PSG has scored multiple goals in eight consecutive games across all competitions.
Lille too has been scoring freely, with 21 goals in their six games this year, showing sharpness upfront and tight defense, conceding only once in their last six games.
Paulo Fonseca’s team has only lost twice in their last 14 away games, including a recent 2-1 loss to Lyon in the Coupe de France.
Lille has managed three consecutive clean sheets in Ligue 1 three times this season but hasn’t surpassed that streak since 2022.
With 35 points after 20 games, Lille is slightly ahead of last season’s pace and just behind Brest for a Champions League spot, tied with Monaco on goal difference for the qualifying stage.
Lille has lost their last two league visits to Parc des Princes, conceding six goals in total, with their last win there in April 2020 during their league-winning season.
Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form: W D W W D W
Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions): W W W D W W
Lille Ligue 1 form: D D L W D W
Lille form (all competitions): W W W D W L
Team News
Alexandre Letellier is doubtful for PSG due to illness, while Nuno Mendes and Layvin Kurzawa are sidelined with injuries.
Presnel Kimpembe is out with an Achilles issue, Milan Skriniar may return from ankle trouble, and Sergio Rico is unavailable due to a head injury.
Kylian Mbappe leads the goal-scoring charts, with Marco Asensio also contributing significantly last weekend.
For Lille, Bafode Diakite and Samuel Umtiti are injured, and Ivan Cavaleiro is expected back soon from a groin issue.
Fonseca made a single change last weekend, with Nabil Bentaleb replacing the suspended Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Jonathan David has been in fine form, scoring four goals in his last two league games, with Benjamin Andre and Edon Zhegrova also contributing to their recent win.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma;
Soler, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Hernandez;
Ruiz, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery;
Dembele, Mbappe, Kolo Muani
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier;
Santos, Yoro, Alexsandro, Ismaily;
Bentaleb, Andre;
Zhegrova, Yazici, Cabella;
David
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Lille
Although Lille has been strong defensively, PSG’s attack, led by Mbappe and supported by others, might be too much for Lille to contain for the entire game.
