Lille vs Le Havre prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-02-16 16:00.
Perched just inside the top five, Lille can ill afford to rest on their laurels with the chasing pack bearing down on them. There was no real disgrace in their 3-1 defeat against runaway league leaders PSG last weekend, though the fact it was their second loss in five league games (W2, D1) will be cause for concern for a side who had only lost twice in their 16 Ligue 1 outings prior.
Most of their issues of late have come on the road, with their home league form this season amongst the best in the division (W7, D2, L1). A home victory usually comes with a clean sheet too, as all seven of those wins came âto nilâ, and if they are to concede it likely wonât come early as they havenât leaked a first-half goal in home league action since way back in September!
Ordinarily, that would make pretty ominous reading for a Le Havre side stranded in mid-table, but given theyâve scored before the break in three of their last four away games (W1, D2, L1), they might just be confident of being the side to end that run. Isolating just their league results on the road, Le Havre have been the draw specialists, with their seven stalemates more than any other Ligue 1 side (W1, L3).
Those away draws have certainly played a part in Le Havreâs current mid-table position, but with just a five-point cushion to the drop zone, they canât rest easy just yet. Fears of an instant return to the second tier are still very real, and with an incredibly poor top-flight away record against Lille (W1, D6, L10), their situation could look a little more perilous after the weekend.
Players to watch: Yusuf Yazıcı netted Lilleâs only goal against PSG, his fifth successive goal to arrive before half-time. Le Havreâs Emmanuel Sabbi has made a name for himself lately with four goals across the last six Ligue 1 rounds, all of which came before the hour mark.
Hot stat: A joint-league low three of Lilleâs Ligue 1 home games this term saw both teams score.