Le Havre vs Lille prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-09-27 17:00.
[p]Le Havre will go in search of their first triumph over Lille since February 1996 (D3, L5 since) when the two teams meet at the Stade Océane on Saturday evening. The hosts went down 2-0 in this fixture last season and have now lost the last five H2H games whilst scoring just one goal. They are big outsiders to break that sequence but either way the neutrals could be in for a decent spectacle, as their two home games this season have produced nine goals, whilst their last four here have seen both teams score.[/p]
[p]The Dean Club have since lost successive away games to Toulouse (2-0) and Monaco (3-1), but in spite of those defeats, they have still recorded two wins from their opening five top-flight matches for the first time since the 1991/92 season. Le Havre went on to end that campaign in seventh place which may explain manager Didier Digard’s flippant post-match remarks at the Stade Louis II on Sunday in which he described the game as one with “lots of positives, apart from the result.”[/p]
[p]Lille also come into this clash after experiencing a downturn in form which has seen them lose four consecutive matches across all competitions, a run which was ended with an 84th minute equaliser during a six-goal thriller at home to Strasbourg last Saturday. That point means the Mastiffs began this round of games in ninth place, just two points behind fourth where they finished last season.[/p]
[p]That fourth-placed finish saw Lille enter the UEFA Champions League at the third qualifying round stage in early August and under new manager Bruno Génésio they progressed to the league phase. However, that success has meant a busier schedule than most and they travel south west for this fixture having already played ten competitive matches this season, compared to Le Havre who have contested half as many![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Le Havre left-back Christopher Operi will be looking to maintain his impressive start to this season at the Stade Océane where he has delivered an assist in both matches. His fellow defender Bafodé Diakité was Lille’s opening goalscorer away to Reims this season and his perfect record of three wins from three games against Le Havre includes an assist in his most recent outing.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Le Havre have kept just one clean sheet from their last 13 league matches at home.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]