Lille OSC vs Montpellier HSC – 16/04/2023
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Lille are looking for a swift return to the win column after their excellent run of form came to an end last weekend as Paulo Fonseca’s men welcome Montpellier to the Decathlon Arena early on Sunday.
Lille are sitting fifth in the table and despite a loss last time out, the club remains one of the most in-form teams in France in 2023 with them moving all the way from ninth and into fifth in the past three months.
Travailler dur, ensemble ???? pic.twitter.com/lP0X8t84p4
— LOSC (@losclive) April 11, 2023
They did, however, lose at home to last-placed Angers last time out in what was just the third win of the season for Angers who are already preparing for life in Ligue 2.
Lille did previously go on a five-game unbeaten run after a narrow loss to Paris Saint-Germain where Lionel Messi scored a free-kick in the 96th minute.
They went on to beat Brest and Toulouse around draws with Lens and Lyon, as Lille’s last win came in a 3-1 victory against Lorient after a stunning comeback win that saw Edon Zhegrova score twice in the last four minutes of the game.
Despite this solid form, a return to the top three still seems unlikely for Lille with them behind Marseille in third by nine points and adrift of Lens in second by 11 points.
What’s more, they are behind Monaco in fourth by six points and only ahead of Rennes in sixth by two points with eight games left to play.
Nevertheless, with 54 goals scored from 30 games, only Monaco and PSG have scored more goals than Lille this season.
As for Montpellier, they’ve failed to win both their games since the end of the international break after Marseille drew with them 1-1, as Toulouse defeated the club 2-1 at the Stade de la Mosson where Elye Wahi scored late on in what was merely a consolation goal.
Montpellier are still way clear of the bottom four, however, as they’ve now created a gap of 11 points on Strasbourg in 17th and head into this game with 11 wins on the board.
However, their 15 defeats is the most for those sitting out of the bottom three and their 50 goals let in is the second most for those outside of the relegation zone.
Forebet predicts a return to winning ways for Lille in this one and for the game to see over 2.5 goals with Lille staying in the Europa Conference League spot.
