Ligue One football is back this weekend with another full slate of fixtures from one of the most underrated top flights in Europe. There are clubs up and down France’s top tier that will feel like they have a real point to prove as we continue on through the end of October. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be an entertaining clash between Lille and Monaco.
Lille Form GuideWe are a few years removed from the heroics of Lille winning Ligue One and ever since then, they haven’t quite been able to sustain the momentum they built for themselves. That doesn’t mean they haven’t got a good base or a good squad - far from it. What it does mean, however, is that they need to start thinking outside of the box if they want to compete with the big boys.
A 2-1 defeat at home to Reims seemed to wake Lille up a bit last month. They went on to defeat Le Havre before draws against KI Klaksvik and Lens, before nice (and close) wins over Brest and Slovan Bratislava.
Monaco Form GuideMonaco serve as an ever-present member of the French elite when it comes to the beautiful game and so far this season, they’re making a real effort to prove why they should be viewed as such. They are starting to redefine themselves as an exciting entity at this level and while there’s still a long way to go, there are plenty of reasons to believe that the future is bright.
Following on from a 1-0 defeat at home to Nice that was bound to sting, Monaco were able to regroup and get back to work in a big way. They beat Marseille, Reims and Metz in a strong three-game run heading into this trip.
Match PredictionIn terms of overall quality, we actually think it’s quite hard to separate these sides - even though many would probably opt to favour Monaco. This should be a technical affair between two really bright teams, with the end result probably being a draw.