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Saturday sees Lille play host to Nantes in a Ligue 1 game at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Reigning champions Lille are currently in 12th place in the table, while Nantes are surprisingly one spot above them in 11th.
So can Lille return to form this weekend and pick up a win, or will Nantes manage to defeat the champions?
After storming to the title in the 2020-21 Ligue 1 season, Lille have struggled to maintain that form in the current campaign.
They have not won a match since early October, with their recent 2-2 draw with Monaco stretching their winless run to five games.
Lille have also lost to some unlikely opponents this season, including strugglers Lorient and newly promoted Clermont.
However, they have fared better in Europe and look set to advance into the Champions League knockout stages following their win over RB Salzburg this week.
Nantes, meanwhile, have enjoyed a solid start to their campaign after narrowly avoiding relegation in 2020-21.
They have already recorded five wins, just four fewer than they managed in the entire 2020-21 campaign, and have impressed in their victories over Angers, Brest and Troyes.
However, they have still been somewhat inconsistent, with a 2-1 victory over Clermont being their only win in their last five.
Lille vs Nantes Head-to-Head
The two teams have squared off 72 times in the past. Lille have 29 wins against Nantes' 24 while 19 games have ended in a draw.
Nantes have lost to Lille in their last six meetings with the current champions, including two defeats last season.
Lille form guide: W-D-D-W-L
Nantes form guide: L-D-L-W-D
Lille vs Nantes Team News
Lille
Three players are expected to miss out on this game for Lille, including influential defender Sven Botman.
Injured: Gabriel Gudmundsson
Doubful: Leo Jardim, Sven Botman
Suspended: None
Nantes
Sebastien Corchia, Renaud Edmond and Roli Pereira De Sa are all injured for the game. Charles Traore is ill and will not take part as well.
Injured: Sebastien Corchia, Renaud Emond, Roli Pereira De Sa
Doubtful: None
Unavailable: Charles Traore
Suspended: None
Lille vs Nantes Predicted XI
Lille predicted XI (4-4-2): Ivo Grbic, Zeki Celik, Jose Fonte, Tiago Djalo, Reinildo, Jonathan Ikone, Benjamin Andre, Xeka, Jonathan Bamba, Burak Yilmaz, Jonathan David
Nantes predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alban Lafont, Dennis Appiah, Jean-Charles Castelletto, Nicolas Pallois, Fabio, Andrei Girotto, Pedro Chirivella, Randal Kolo Muani, Ludovic Blas, Marcus Coco, Kalifa Coulibaly
Lille vs Nantes Prediction
Despite Lille being the reigning Ligue 1 champions, this might be a close game to call.
Nantes’ form has been patchy throughout the campaign, but they have proven themselves to be a dangerous outfit and do have the potential to pull off an upset here.
However, Lille are now unbeaten in four games across all competitions, and consistent wins in the Champions League will have buoyed their confidence. Expect a tight home win here.
Prediction: Lille 1-0 Nantes
