Lille Vs Paris Saint-Germain
Lille Vs Paris Saint-Germain Sunday 20th December 2020 – 20:00 (kick-off)
French Ligue 1
Pick: Lille First Team to Score
Odds: 6/4
Bookmaker: Bet365
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 18th December 2020)
Preview: The biggest game of the Ligue 1 season so far takes places inside Stade Pierre Mauroy this weekend, where Lille are unbeaten in the league in 2020/21 and will hope to open up a four point gap over PSG when the sides contest the final fixture on Matchday 15.
French Ligue 1 Betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
Lille – Home comforts will preserve place atop Ligue 1?
With news that the club could be sold imminently, can Lille (W9 D5 L1) provide prospective buyers with genuine cause for optimism that a first league title since 2011 could soon adorn the trophy cabinet at their Stade Pierre Mauroy? The focus of both manager and players is solely on football matters though, as one would expect, and it needs to be with a top-of-the-table clash versus champions PSG awaiting next.
Lille manager Christophe Galtier will be thrilled with what he saw in midweek meanwhile. His team stretching their winning streak in the league to three having not lost any of the past five (W4) since a shock 3-2 upset away to Brest at the beginning of November. Since then, however, they have chalked up wins against Bordeaux, Dijon, Lorient and Monaco, with a frustrating 1-1 draw in St Etienne the sole blemish.
Yasuf Yazici notched his tenth in all competitions in Wednesday’s routine 2-0 win at bottom club Dijon. It was just a second clean sheet in eight league games, having previously kept five across the opening seven matchdays. Yet we are still talking about the strongest defence in France. Particularly at home: unbeaten in eight here (W6 D2), no visiting team has so far netted more than once (0.5 conceded per game).
PSG – Mbappe helping to alleviate Parisien blues?
Sporting a new shade of blue, Kylian Mbappe inspired PSG (W10 D1 L4) to just their second league win in five matches as the team put their own recent blues aside to record a straightforward 2-0 success at home to Lorient on Wednesday. However the visitors became the first side in France since Rennes, on 7 November, not to breach this fragile PSG backline, but, by all accounts, probably should have done so.
Make no mistake about it, it was PSG who carved out the better openings in midweek – but it might have been a more nervy affair had Lorient, who frequently got in behind the home side’s high line, shown more composure in the final third. One would imagine a more proficient opponent – much like Lyon last week in their 1-0 victory in Paris, or Bordeaux (2 goals), Montpellier (1) and Monaco (3) before them – might cash in.
Prior to facing Lorient, PSG had won once in four league games (W1 D1 L2). They had also shipped 1.75 goals on average across this sequence, a far cry from their run of eight successive victories, which included seven clean sheets, that preceded it. Moreover, Thomas Tuchel, who is still missing a host of key men (Neymar foremost), have come out second best on xG in each of their past two away outings.
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Lille Vs PSG Betting Advice
There can be no doubt that PSG are looking more vulnerable than at any time in recent memory. Recent results – two wins in the past five league matches (W2 D1 L2) – certainly supports this notion. As does the fact the Parisiens come into Matchday 16 second in the table, rather than their customary top spot – and often with a healthy lead already built up. Therefore were the champs to lose on Sunday for the fifth time this season, PSG will fall four points off the title pace.
Lille Vs PSG – Key Facts:
- The only Ligue 1 team in 2020/21 to score the opening goal in all of their home games, Lille remain unbeaten at their own stadium this season (W6 D2, GF17 GA4), winning each of the last three.
- Two wins and one clean sheet garnered from PSG‘s previous five Ligue 1 matches (W2 D1 L2), having won eight straight whilst conceding only once beforehand.
- PSG have remained the dominant force in this fixture though; Les Parisiens triumphant away to Lille on all but two of their past six Ligue 1 visits (W6 D1 L1), winning 2-0 in 2019/20
That leader being Lille, who have lost just the once so far – away to Brest on 8th November. Here at Stade Pierre Mauroy, meanwhile, Christophe Galtier’s men remain undefeated (W6 D2) having won each of the last three against Bordeaux, Lorient and Monaco. Curiously, the hosts have also netted the opening goal in all eight home encounters, so a we might be prudent banking on a typically quick start from our hosts.
Best Betting Odds – Lille Vs PSG
Lille – 3/1 (Bet365)
Draw – 29/10 (Betfair)
PSG – 10/11 (Betway)
