Lille will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2020-21 Ligue 1 campaign when they welcome Metz to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday afternoon.
Les Dogues finished fourth on a points-per-game basis last time out and have started this season brightly, while opponents Metz fell to defeat in their only game so far.
Match preview
Christophe Galtier's side have Europa League football to look forward to later this year, but for now the aim is to put as many points on the board in Ligue 1.
After kicking off their campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Rennes, Lille edged out Reims 1-0 last time out through Jonathan Bamba's first-half goal.
It is still far too early to be looking at the standings, of course, but Les Dogues find themselves nicely positioned in fifth ahead of this meeting with Metz.
Les Grenats won five of their six pre-season matches, but they were beaten 1-0 by Monaco in their opening Ligue 1 match on August 30 - Benoit Badiashile scoring the only goal.
Taking last season into account, when finishing in 15th place after 28 matches, Metz have now lost three of their last six games - as many as in their previous 14.
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Coming away from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy with anything also looks to be a big ask, with Lille winning seven of their last nine home league matches.
Indeed, Galtier's charges have kept nine clean sheets at home in Ligue 1 since the beginning of last season - no other team has more.
In terms of past league meetings between the sides, Lille have lost just two of their last 19 against Metz, with both losses coming in the 2016-17 season.
Les Dogues face a tough trip to last season's runners-up Marseille in their next match, so they will be hoping to put three points on the board ahead of that one.
However, Metz - away at Paris Saint-Germain next week - have gone unbeaten in five games on their travels and kept a clean sheet in three of those, showing that they can be a very tough side to break down.
Lille Ligue 1 form: DW
Metz Ligue 1 form: L
Team News
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Left-back Reinildo is ruled out for Lille because of a red card picked up on the opening day of the season, but the hosts otherwise have no injury or suspension concerns.
Renato Sanches was involved in international duty for Portugal after shaking off a minor injury, so he could return to the side following his absence against Reims.
Zeki Celik was back involved last time out and should retain his place at right-back, with Domagoj Bradaric on the opposite flank.
Metz will be without injured pair Manuel Cabit and Kevin N'Doram for this match, meanwhile, and Thomas Delaine is also doubtful.
Cape Verde international forward Vagner, signed from Saint-Etienne in the summer, is still short of fitness and is unlikely to start.
Vincent Hognon is also expected to be without Habib Diallo due to uncertainty over his future. The Senegalese forward has failed to score in his last five games in Ligue 1.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Celik, Fonte, Botman, Bradaric; Ikone, Andre, Sanches, Bamba; Yilmaz, David
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Centonze, Bronn, Boye, Udol; Maiga, Angban, Pajot; Boulaya, Niane, Nguette
We say: Lille 0-0 Metz
Metz ended last season in good form on their travels and they have stopped Lille from scoring in three of their last four league encounters at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The hosts will head into this match as favourites to make it back-to-back wins, but we are backing Metz to put their first point on the board.
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
Daniel Lewis
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 55.16%. A draw had a probability of 27.1% and a win for Metz had a probability of 17.74%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lille win was 1-0 with a probability of 17.33%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.39%) and 2-1 (8.43%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 0-0 (12.11%), while for a Metz win it was 0-1 (8.24%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 17.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Lille in this match.
