Monaco vs Lille prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-05-13 15:05.
Monaco coach Philppe Clement expressed his relief after his side ended a run of back-to-back defeats with a 2-1 win over already-relegated Angers last week, stating that “facing a team with nothing to lose is always challenging”. They now battle it out with their closest competitors for fourth-place in the shape of Lille in what appears to be a crucial “six-pointer”, knowing that a loss would see their lead shrink to just two points.
While a victory might give them a chance to contend for a top-three position, the six-point deficit to third-placed Marseille from the previous round seems increasingly challenging to bridge. Monaco's performance against current top-five teams has been underwhelming, however, winning only one of seven such matches this term(D2, L4), with any hope of improving that return dented by a suspension to talisman Wissam Ben Yedder.
This is proving to be a difficult end of season for Lille, who enter this game with just two wins from their previous five Ligue 1 matches (D1, L2), bookended by a 1-0 defeat at Reims last weekend. As a consequence, the Mastiffs are looking anxiously over their shoulder as they could lose their top-five team status in favour of Lyon or Rennes in case of a loss here, with coach Paulo Fonseca stating post-match that his players “will fight to the end".
More consistency is needed on the road if Lille are to play on the European stage next season, as each of their last 12 top-flight results away from home differed from the one beforehand (W4, D3, L5). Despite not winning at Stade Louis II in Ligue 1 since 2008/09 (D6, L4), a season that saw them finish fifth, the visitors are still considered slight favourites by bookmakers going into this latest clash with Les Monégasques.
Players to watch: Monaco’s Myron Boadu has scored his team’s second goal in each of his three goalscoring Ligue 1 matches, including the winner against Angers last Sunday. Jonathan Bamba will be looking to surpass him, as he has been Lille's final scorer in four of the five top-flight matches in which he has scored, including the reverse H2H.
Hot stat: Monaco are the only top-five team yet to win at home after conceding first (D1, L5).