Lille vs Slovan Bratislava prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-10-25 16:45.
With just one defeat in their last nine competitive outings (W4, D4), Lille are building up a head of steam both domestically and in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). Having secured four points from their two UECL group games this term, Lille now face the only side in the group to hold more points than them in Slovan Bratislava, meaning this H2H double header they face in their next two group games could be key in deciding who finishes where.
This will be Lille’s first-ever meeting with Slovakian opposition, and having tasted defeat in just one of their last six European home games (W3, D2), they should feel confident of marking the occasion with a positive result. They’ve also got the advantage of having played on the Stade Pierre-Mauroy turf at the weekend in a 1-0 victory over Brest, with the pitch in a significant state of disrepair after its use in the Rugby World Cup, so bad in fact that Lille boss Paulo Fonseca labelled it “catastrophic”.
Arriving on the back of eight successive victories, Slovan Bratislava will fancy their chances playing wherever at the moment. A 2-1 win in the West-Slovakia derby over Spartak Trnava at the weekend ensures they sit atop of the Slovak First Football League with a game in hand on their nearest challengers as they seek a sixth successive league crown.
Focus switches to the UECL for now, and given both their wins in Group A to date have come by one goal margins, they can ill afford to become complacent. The fact their only prior trip to France ended in a 1-0 defeat against PSG would back up that sentiment, but with a four-match unbeaten away run in the UECL under their belt (W3, D1), they’re far happier travellers now.
Key battle: Taking the field together in the international break, Canadian duo Jonathan David and Milan Borjan now face off against each other. Lille’s David has seen eight of his last nine home goals arrive after the break, but he may have his work cut out to build upon that against Borjan, who has three clean sheets from his five away European appearances this term.
Hot stat: Lille have only conceded more than once in a competitive home game on two occasions since late October 2022.