Lille vs Angers Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 French Ligue 1
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In a game overshadowed by a head injury suffered by Angel Gomes, Lille managed to earn a 2-0 win against Stade de Reims. They look to make it back-to-back victories as they welcome newly-promoted Angers to Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Saturday 24th August, 2024 - UK – 6:00pm / US ET – 1:00pm / US PT – 10:00am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TBC / US – beIN Sports or beIN Sports de Espanol
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – TBC / US – Fubo or Fanatiz
LILLE PREVIEW: EVOLVING LILLE
At the end of what was an impressive season last season, Paulo Fonseca departed the club to take the reins at AC Milan and he was replaced by former Olympique Lyonnais and Stade Rennais boss Bruno Genesio. He began with a comfortable 2-0 win away at Stade de Reims in emotional circumstances.
Former England U21 international Angel Gomes was knocked out cold early on in the first-half and it has now been reported that he is on the mend but the game was delayed for over half an hour. When they returned, goals from Bafode Diakite and Jonathan David gave the northerners a win before they then defeated Slavia Prague by two goals to nil on Tuesday.
ANGERS PREVIEW: TOUGH START FOR ANGERS
The exciting management of Alexandre Dujeux will have to surpass expectations this season as they try and avoid a relegation battle, let alone relegation this season. Les Scoistes started their return to the French top-flight by suffering a 1-0 defeat to Lens at home at Stade Raymond Kopa last weekend.
Lens opened the scoring after 28 minutes via Wesley Said and Angers couldn’t get themselves back into the game. That is typical of their quite defensive style of football. For example, in gaining automatic promotion to the top-flight as Ligue 2 runners’ up last season, they managed to score just 56 goals in 38 games.
LILLE TEAM NEWS: SAD STORIES IN MIDFIELD
Last season, both Nabil Bentaleb and Angel Gomes formed an excellent midfield partnership but the former suffered a cardiac arrest in the summer and the latter is now expected to be sidelined for a while with that aforementioned head injury.
Former France international defender Samuel Umtiti had to undergo yet another knee surgery towards the end of last season and he remains unavailable for the hosts this weekend.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-3): Chevalier; Mandi, Diakite, Alexsandro; Santos, Mukau, Mbappe, Ismaily; Cabella, Bayo, Sahraoui
UNAVAILABLE: Umtiti (Injured), Bentaleb (Illness), Gomes (Concussion)
QUESTIONABLE:
ANGERS TEAM NEWS: FRUSTRATING ABSENTEES
Angers haven’t been able to be overly active in the summer transfer window with Jim Allevinah one of a few additions but he is unavailable at the start of this season with a concussion.
As well as Allevinah, his fellow attacker Zinedine Ferhat is sidelined with a calf injury that saw him miss the end of last season alongside Joseph Lopy. Emmanuel Biumla suffered a hamstring injury late on in pre-season, too.
PREDICTED XI (5-3-2): Fofana; Arcus, Bamba, Hountondji, Lefort, Ekomie; Capelle, Aholou, Belkhdim; Cherif, Abdelli
UNAVAILABLE: Biumla (Injured), Lopy (Injured), Allevinah (Injured), Ferhat (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
LILLE VS ANGERS PREDICTION
Lille will have to rearrange their midfield once again this weekend with the likes of Hakon Haraldsson and Benjamin Andre not seemingly part of the starting plans for Bruno Genesio. Jonathan David has started with two goals in two games in both Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League and the Canada international will be a daunting prospect for Angers. Angers will look to be defensive but Lille should still get themselves a victory.
LILLE VS ANGERS TIP: LILLE TO WIN TO NIL
