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Saturday sees a Ligue 1 game between Lille and Angers at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Reigning champions Lille currently sit in a disappointing 12th place, while Angers are a little higher in 8th.
So can Lille pick up a much-needed win, or will they be upset by their visitors this weekend?
To say Lille’s form this season has not been anywhere near as good as their title-winning 2020-21 campaign would be an understatement.
The reigning champions have won just four of their first 12 Ligue 1 games and are currently on a three-game winless run. They lost their most recent match to Paris Saint-Germain.
However, they have fared slightly better in the UEFA Champions League, where they currently sit second in their group following this week’s win over Sevilla.
Angers meanwhile flew out of the blocks with three wins in their first four league games, but have slipped somewhat since then.
Gerard Baticle’s men have now won just one of their past eight matches, defeating Metz 3-2 in early early October.
Most recently, they fell to defeat at the hands of high-flying Nice, who stole a win with a 91st minute goal.
Lille vs Angers Head-to-Head
There have been 18 games played between the two historically. Angers have won eight of them while Lille have won six games. Four games have ended all square.
Lille have largely dominated this fixture, winning four of their last six meetings with Angers in recent years.
Lille form guide: W-L-D-D-L
Angers form guide: L-D-L-W-D
Lille vs Angers Team News
Lille
Burak Yilmaz will be assessed before the game after he missed the last Champions League game due to illness. Sven Botman and Leo Jardim will miss out due to injuries
Injured: Sven Botman, Leo Jardim
Doubtful: Burak Yilmaz
Suspended: None
Angers
Angers are expected to be without three players for this match due to various injuries.
Injured: Zinedine Ould Khaled, Abdoulaye Bamba, Sada Thioub
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Lille vs Angers Predicted XI
Lille predicted XI (4-4-2): Ivo Grbic, Zeki Celik, Jose Fonte, Tiago Djalo, Reinildo, Jonathan Ikone, Xeka, Renato Sanches, Yusuf Yazici, Jonathan David, Timothy Weah
Angers predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Paul Bernardoni, Vincent Manceau, Ismael Traore, Romain Thomas, Jimmy Cabot, Batista Mendy, Thomas Mangani, Souleyman Doumbia, Angelo Fulgini, Mohamed-Ali Cho, Sofiane Boufal
Lille vs Angers Prediction
Lille have not quite hit top form thus far in the 2021-22 campaign, but Angers have been on a real slide recently, meaning this is a chance for the champions to pick up a big win.
Angers do have the ability to make things tricky for their hosts here. But they’ve been leaking goals recently, meaning Lille’s forward line should be confident of a breakthrough.
Expect a home win here.
Prediction: Lille 2-0 Angers
