Lille vs O. Ljubljana prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-09-19 14:30.
Although many were predicting a tough season for Lille in 2023/24, a hard fought 2-2 away draw to Rennes on Saturday made it just one defeat from their opening five outings in Ligue 1 (W2, D2). Across all competitions, it’s only one loss in seven as the French side booked their place in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) group stages with a laboured 3-2 aggregate win over Croatian side Rijeka during the qualifying phase.
In their opening Group A outing, Paulo Fonseca’s side welcome Olimpija Ljubljana to Stade Pierre Mauroy where they’ll be hoping to extend their stunning unbeaten run which stands at 21 matches since September last year (W17, D4). Their defensive form has proved the bedrock for that success as they’ve conceded more than once in just two of those outings!
Trying to break that unbeaten run may prove difficult for visiting Ljubljana who have already fallen all the way from the Champions League qualifying rounds to the UECL group stages this season. A 4-0 aggregate UCL third round loss to Galatasaray, followed by their inability to get past Qarabag in the Europa League play-off will have dampened spirits, but their form in Slovenian’s top-flight remains strong.
After the early exchanges, the away side sit second in that competition after taking five wins from seven outings (L2), including their last two on the road. They managed eight goals across those two most recent away league outings and will need more again here as they still haven’t won an away UECL outing in 90 minutes across four previous attempts.
Players to watch: Jonathan David has been Lille’s stand-out player this season with two league strikes and the decisive goal in extra time during their UECL qualifying tie to his name. Ljubljana’s Rui Pedro will look to outgun him here after scoring seven competitive goals this campaign, with his side winning all seven matches in which he’s netted.
Hot stat: Ljubljana’s 15 competitive matches this campaign have averaged 3.47 goals.