Montpellier vs Lille prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-01-27 12:00.
A 2-0 defeat to Brest in their sole Ligue 1 outing of 2024 continued what’s proving a disappointing season for Montpellier. La Paillade enter the round just two points clear of the bottom-three after winning just one of their last nine league matches (D4, L4), so an immediate improvement is required if they’re to avoid being dragged into a survival scrap.
Although their defence have kept a creditable six clean sheets in 18 attempts, the hosts’ lack of goalscoring has proved to be their biggest problem to date. Montpellier have netted just 19 times in Ligue 1 this term, while only two sides have blanked more often than their eight failures to score, leaving boss Michel Der Zakarian with plenty of work to do to transform their fortunes.
As for visiting Lille, they continued their march towards the UEFA Champions League spots last time out in Ligue 1 with a resounding 3-0 victory over bottom-side Lorient. That result subsequently ended their three-match winless streak in France’s top-flight (D2, L1) and evidently inspired confidence, as the Mastiffs then went on to beat lower-league opposition 1-0 to secure their place in the last 16 of the Coupe de France.
If Paulo Fonseca’s side are to kick on in the league and secure European football this season though, their away form needs more improvement. While they’ve lost just twice on the road in Ligue 1, they’ve also only won twice (D5) – only Le Havre can match that number of draws on their travels. What may give them the psychological advantage here instead is their fantastic H2H record, considering that they haven’t lost any of the past 11 clashes (W8, D3) following a 1-0 success in the reverse.
Players to watch: Montpellier captain Téji Savanier has netted all three of his league goals from the penalty spot this term, but he’s failed to win in any of his eight personal H2Hs (D1, L7). This season, Lille have won in all eight of Yusuf Yazıcı’s goalscoring appearances (G9), whilst he’s also scored in the past two H2Hs.
Hot stat: Lille have failed to score in just two of their 18 Ligue 1 matches this season – the joint-fewest in the competition.