Montpellier vs Lille prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-09-03 11:00.
Montpellier were partly able to carry the momentum from a 7-0 thrashing of Brest into their 2-0 midweek victory over Ajaccio. In turn, they now stand one point better off than they were after five league games in 2018/19 – the only season so far to give Montpellier a top-six finish after they were crowned champions a decade ago.
Though the hosts are targeting a first hat-trick of Ligue 1 shutouts since Oct/Nov 2018, the suspension of goalkeeper Jonas Omlin after a midweek red card will likely be a complicating factor. That puts more emphasis on a strong MHSC attack, especially as they come up against a Lille side with the worst defence of all teams that ended Wednesday inside the top half.
Lille are still aiming to restore some wounded pride after a tenth placed finish as champions, but their own midweek result (L 1-2 vs Nice) bore several hallmarks of last season’s failed title defence. Two penalties turned a lead into a deficit inside a nightmare eight-minute window, extending Lille’s wait for a clean sheet to nine games.
That could be something of a psychological setback, but their strong recent record here – with three straight H2H away victories preceding this clash – is hard to ignore. So too is a unbeaten run of three away games overall (W2, D1), during which they showed sufficient fighting spirit to recover points after trailing at half-time on two occasions.
Players to watch: After netting in midweek, Montpellier’s Elye Wahi now has three goals across his last two outings. He could be a hero, but there are several standout candidates to score Lille’s 100th H2H goal, and after drawing first blood in his side’s last away win, Yusuf Yazıcı has seen all three of his prior Ligue 1 away goals act as openers in victories.
Hot stat: At least one half has produced a 1-0 scoreline in the last five H2Hs.