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Lille
Ligue 1 | Gameweek 14
Dec 13, 2020 at 4pm UK
Stade Lille-Metropole
Bordeaux

Lille
2 - 1
Bordeaux

Bamba (17'), Fonte (45')
FT(HT: 2-1)
Basic (29')
de Preville (24'), Baysse (88')

Preview: Lille vs. Bordeaux - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Ligue 1 clash between Lille and Bordeaux, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Lille will be aiming to keep the pressure on Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain when they welcome Bordeaux to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy for Sunday's showdown.

In contrast, the visitors are in mid-table obscurity but have managed to amass seven points from their last three fixtures in the top flight.


Match preview

Lille head coach Christophe Galtier pictured on November 5, 2020© Reuters

Lille had already secured their passage into the next round of the Europa League before they travelled to Celtic, but even then Christophe Galtier would have expected his side to come out on top in that dead rubber.

Neil Lennon is a man under immense pressure right now, but the Celtic manager witnessed his team come out on top in a five-goal thriller with Les Dogues, who ended up finishing second in the group after losing 3-2 in Glasgow.

However, that result will not dampen the Lille spirits too much as they are already safely through into the last 32, and Galtier's side will now aim to string a set of wins together after a run of inconsistent results in the top flight recently.

Les Dogues have only managed to win two of their last six in the top division, but holders PSG have experienced their own slip-ups and are only two points clear of second-placed Lille as things stand, and Galtier's men will temporarily go top with a win here before PSG face off against Lyon a few hours later.

Sunday's hosts are yet to fall to defeat on their own turf in Ligue 1 this season and have taken the spoils in five of their seven domestic outings at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy - scoring 15 and conceding just three goals in that time - and Galtier's side eked out a vital 2-1 win over Monaco last Sunday.

Jean-Louis Gasset as Saint-Etienne manager in January 2019.© Reuters

Bordeaux have also become renowned for their defensive resolve this season, with no team outside the top four shipping fewer goals than Les Girondins' 13 after the same number of matches.

Jean-Louis Gasset's men recorded their eighth shut-out of the season against Brest last weekend as they enjoyed a slender 1-0 victory in that game, with Hatem Ben Arfa grabbing the all-important winner last Sunday.

Despite sitting atop the rankings in the clean sheet charts, Bordeaux have not exactly been firing on all cylinders at the other end of the pitch - with the 13 goals that Les Girondins have notched up being the fewest out of any team in the top 12.

Furthermore, only two of Bordeaux's eight clean sheets this season have come on the road, although Gasset's men - who sit 10th in the table - did manage to hold PSG to a draw in the French capital two weeks ago.

Lille cruised to a 3-0 win when Bordeaux paid a visit in the only game between the two sides last season, and the visitors have only triumphed twice in their last 19 in all competitions on Les Dogues' turf.

Lille Ligue 1 form: DDLWDW
Lille form (all competitions): WDDWWL

Bordeaux Ligue 1 form: WLLWDW


Team News

Yusuf Yazici celebrates with Lille teammates after scoring against AC Milan on November 5, 2020© Reuters

Lille may finally have a recognised right-back available as Zeki Celik is nearing a return from a sprained ankle, and the defender has an outside chance of making the team here.

However, Celik's fellow right-back Jeremy Pied is expected to remain on the treatment table for a little while longer, while Adama Soumaoro and Luiz Araujo are also struggling to shake off problems and are unlikely to play.

Several changes are expected on the hosts' end from their defeat to Celtic, with the likes of Reinildo, Renato Sanches, Jonathan Bamba and Benjamin Andre all in line for returns to the first XI.

Bordeaux have few absentees to contend with, but Samuel Kalu has suffered another setback in his return from injury and will miss out again here.

Veteran defender Laurent Koscielny is nursing a muscular problem and did not take part in outdoor training on Friday, so Pablo and Paul Baysse should pair up in defence once again.

Gasset could opt to switch things up in attack given his side's lack of goals recently, with Remi Oudin and Jimmy Briand both pushing to be involved from the off.

Lille possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Djalo, Fonte, Botman, Reinildo; Ikone, Andre, Sanches, Bamba; David, Yilmaz

Bordeaux possible starting lineup:
Costil; Sabaly, Pablo, Baysse, Benito; Oudin, Basic, Otavio, Hwang; Ben Arfa, Maja


SM words green background

We say: Lille 2-0 Bordeaux

Bordeaux's defensive capabilities will certainly be put to the test against Lille, who are sure to be desperate to bounce back from their unexpected defeat to Celtic. Furthermore, with the prospect of Les Dogues topping the rankings by the close of play this weekend, we cannot look past Galtier's men on their own turf and are backing Lille to get the job done in convincing fashion.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data



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Written by
Ben Knapton

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Lille win with a probability of 61.91%. A draw had a probability of 22.7% and a win for Bordeaux had a probability of 15.43%.

The most likely scoreline for a Lille win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.51%) and 2-1 (9.5%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.62%), while for a Bordeaux win it was 0-1 (5.95%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Lille would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Lille vs Bordeaux

Lille
87.1%
Draw
9.7%
Bordeaux
3.2%
31
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Celtic manager Neil Lennon pictured on August 22, 2020
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Paris Saint-GermainPSG16124044143040
2Marseille1593332181430
3MonacoMonaco1693426161030
4Lille1576225151027
5Lyon157442720725
6Nice156632819924
7Lens156631914524
8Auxerre156362323021
9Toulouse156361717021
10Reims155552018220
11Brest156182427-319
12Rennes155282020017
13StrasbourgStrasbourg154562527-217
14NantesNantes153571724-714
15Angers153481426-1213
16Saint-EtienneSt Etienne1541101234-2213
17Le HavreLe Havre1540111129-1812
18Montpellier HSCMontpellier1523101538-239


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