Soccer France Ligue 1 Prediction

Lille vs AC Ajaccio - Match Preview

⚽ 29 April 2023 - 19:00 GMT +0

Lille seems intent on ensuring something tangible manifests from this Ligue 1 season, having lost only once in their last eight games (W4, D3). They’ll be disappointed to have let points slip after taking the lead only to draw 1-1 against Auxerre last weekend, although they’re still well set up to put pressure on the top four whom they trail by five points with six games to go.

The Mastiffs will be eager to return to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy where they’ve recorded ten of their 16 wins and claimed 34 of their 56 points this season. Paulo Fonseca’s team will therefore fancy themselves to keep the points rolling when AC Ajaccio pay them a visit, especially considering they’ve won the last eight H2Hs all while scoring 3+ goals in six of those meetings.

That’ll be the last thing Ajaccio want to hear since they now have only six games to somehow make up the ten-point deficit needed to enact the greatest of all escapes. They did themselves no favours by being reduced to ten-men in their 0-0 stalemate against Brest over the weekend, and while that result ended a six-game losing streak, securing what was only their seventh point of the year (W2, L13) shows why Olivier Pantaloni’s men are in the position they’re in.

The Bears must now forage for points on the road in order to survive, but losing their last five away matches won’t inspire much confidence among the travelling fans, and hence it seems just a matter of time until the league’s lowest scorers succumb to an immediate return to Ligue 2.

📋 Players to watch: Lille’s Rémy Cabella was born in the city of Ajaccio, and has continued his love affair with his hometown club by scoring in each of his five appearances against them (W4, D1). ACA themselves will be hoping Youcef Belaïli’s return from injury can help their near-impossible cause, after netting his side’s opener in six of his last eight goalscoring outings.

⚡ Hot stat: Ajaccio has failed to score in 17 league games this season, the joint-most in Europe’s top-five leagues (tied with Sampdoria).