Lille vs Marseille: Ligue 1 Clash Preview
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Sunday’s Ligue 1 match between Lille and Marseille is set to be a crucial encounter for both teams, as they vie for a spot in the Champions League next season. According to Sports Mole, the two teams will face off at the Decathlon Arena, with Lille looking to secure a top-three finish domestically.
Lille, under the management of Bruno Genesio, have been in excellent form recently, with a three-game winning streak in the top flight. Their latest victory came against relegation-threatened Angers, where goals from Alexsandro Ribeiro and Hakon Haraldsson secured a two-goal win. As Sports Mole notes, Lille are currently occupying third spot in the Ligue 1 standings, two points behind Marseille in second and two points ahead of fifth-placed Lyon with three games remaining.
One of the key players for Lille has been Jonathan David, who is on course to break personal records after back-to-back 26-goal campaigns ending in 2023 and 2024. The Canadian marksman has found the net on 25 occasions across all competitions so far in 2024-25, as reported by Sports Mole.
Marseille, on the other hand, have been enjoying a successful season under Roberto De Zerbi, with a winning streak at Stade Velodrome extending to four top-flight battles last weekend. Sports Mole states that Les Olympiens have been impressive on the South Coast, with Amine Gouiri netting a sensational hat-trick as the hosts overcame mid-table side Brest by a 4-1 scoreline.
Despite their impressive form, Marseille have struggled away from Stade Velodrome in recent times, losing four straight outings in Ligue 1 by an aggregate scoreline of 12-2, according to Sports Mole. Les Olympiens will be looking to turn their fortunes around against Lille, with Mason Greenwood taking to Ligue 1 like a duck to water this season, scoring 18 strikes and providing four assists across 31 league games.
Team News
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Lille will be without Bafode Diakite for the Marseille meeting, who received a red card during the second half of the victory over Angers last weekend. Sports Mole reports that the 24-year-old will join the likes of Ethan Mbappe (hamstring) and Tiago Santos (knee) on the sidelines, with the pair out for the remainder of the campaign.
Marseille are unable to call upon the talents of centre-back Luiz Felipe, who picked up a rare eye injury during the middle of the March schedule, as per Sports Mole. Les Olympiens have been running short on options in net for the entire campaign, with Spaniard Ruben Blanco fighting back from a serious knee injury.
Predicted Lineups
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Lille possible starting lineup: Chevalier; Meunier, Mandi, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Haraldsson, Andre, Gomes, Fernandez-Pardo; David, Akpom
Marseille possible starting lineup: Rulli; Murillo, Balerdi, Kondogbia, Garcia; Rongier, Hojbjerg; Greenwood, Rabiot, Henrique; Gouiri
Match Prediction
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According to Sports Mole, with Champions League qualification on the line, the match is expected to be a cagey affair between two in-form teams at Decathlon Arena on Sunday night. Lille have been exceptional at home in recent times, whilst Marseille have struggled on the road, so Sports Mole is leaning towards a narrow success for Les Dogues, predicting a 2-1 win for Lille.
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