Marseille will hope to overtake Lille when the two face off at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday in the Ligue 1.
Lille have backed up their jump last season with another impressive campaign so far. They are third in the table as of now, and only a point behind Nantes in second place. Leaders Paris Saint-Germain are still way ahead, but another Champions league berth is a real possibility for Lille. However, their recent form is not encouraging. Lille have won just once in their last six games in all competitions. Two of those came in the Champions League, where Lille have failed to cope up.
On the bright side, their last game was a resounding success. They faced Bordeaux at home and registered a 3-0 win. Benjamin Andre opened the scoring, and Yusuf Yazici doubled the lead in the second half with a penalty. In the closing stages, substitute Loic Remy scored to put some gloss on the result. Surprisingly Bordeaux had the majority of the ball in the game, but they could not do much with it. Lille were clinical, scoring from all their shots on target.
Victor Osimhen has been a success story for Lille this season. The summer signing has scored seven goals for his new club in the league. Lille have scored 17 league goals in total, and only two other sides have netted more. Their defence has conceded a goal per game, and that aspect can be improved for coach Christophe Galtier. Worryingly for Galtier, Lille have not won away from home this season, and they will hope to amend that on Sunday.
Marseille are hot on the tails of opponents Lille. They are seventh in the table, but just three points behind Nantes in second. A win should take them ahead of Lille in the table. Marseille’s form is also not the best, and they have won just once in their last six league outings. The heaviest defeat in that time came last week when they went to the Parc des Princes to face PSG. The leaders hammered Marseille 4-0 in an embarrassing loss.
Marseille are the only side in the top half to have a negative goal difference. Improvements could be made on both ends of the field for Marseille. Dario Benedetto has scored 5 league goals for them this season, which is a major chunk of the 12 Marseille have mustered in total.
Benedetto has made a quick impact since his summer move. Dimitri Payet is the creative heartbeat of the side, and he will hope to step up in the coming weeks. After the opening game of the season, Marseille have not lost a home game. This record should give them confidence for the Lille clash.
Marseille vs Lille Prediction
The home advantage should pay off, and Marseille should get the three points on Sunday. The total goals should be Over 2.5 in the game, but Marseille will have the upper hand. Lille’s poor away record should continue, and Marseille will get an important win.
