Monaco vs Lille Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 French Ligue 1
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This is a fascinating clash at Stade Louis II this weekend as Monaco, who went into the October international break sitting at the top-of-the-table in Ligue 1, take on a Lille side that are still buoyant from their defeat of Real Madrid earlier this month.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Friday 18th October, 2024 - UK – 7:45pm / US ET – 2:45pm / US PT – 11:45am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Not televised / US – beIN Sports
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Ligue 1 pass / US – beIN Sports
MONACO PREVIEW: FOOT ON THE MONAGASQUE
Under the management of former Borussia Monchengladbach boss Adi Hutter, Monaco have been one of the most entertaining sides in Ligue 1 ever since his appointment and they are now looking like a genuinely strong side that could achieve something quite special this season.
It has not just been impressive form in Ligue 1 that has caught the eye but they also defeated Barcelona by two goals to one in the UEFA Champions League last month, too. That means they are unbeaten in all nine of their matches so far this season across all competitions. They have won six and drawn one of their opening seven matches in France’s top-flight as they sit above Paris Saint-Germain ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures.
LILLE PREVIEW: LILLE GETTING LARGE
Over the summer, after an impressive campaign in which they finished fourth and qualified for the UEFA Champions League last season, Lille lost their manager Paulo Fonseca to AC Milan. He was replaced by former Olympique Lyonnais and Stade Rennais boss Bruno Genesio.
It was an impressive start to the season in which they defeated Slavia Prague over two legs in the playoff round of the UEFA Champions League and also began with back-to-back victories in Ligue 1. They then endured a five-match winless run of form across all competitions before turning their form around before the international break with victories against Le Havre and Toulouse sandwiching a famous defeat of Real Madrid at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
MONACO TEAM NEWS: COUPLE OF INJURIES
The form of Breel Embolo has been imperative for Monaco with him leading an exciting attack that consists of the likes of Aleksandar Golovin and Eliesse Ben Seghir.
The hosts do have a couple of injury issues, though, including United States international striker Folarin Balogun as well as winger Edan Diop for this one.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Kohn; Singo, Kehrer, Mawissa; Vanderson, Camara, Zakaria, Ouattara; Minamino, Ben Seghir; Embolo
UNAVAILABLE: Diop (Injured), Balogun (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
LILLE TEAM NEWS: SEVERAL ABSENTEES
Captain Benjamin Andre is missing through suspension for this weekend due to accumulating too many yellow cards and he heads up what is quite a long list of unavailable players.
As well as Andre, they are also missing key men such as Hakon Haraldsson and Ismaily due to injury, whilst Nabil Bentaleb is missing due to the cardiac arrest he suffered this summer.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Chevalier; Meunier, Diakite, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson; And. Gomes, Bouaddi; Zhegrova, Ang. Gomes, Sahraoui; David
UNAVAILABLE: Santos (Injured), Umtiti (Injured), Ismaily (Injured), Mukau (Injured), Andre (Suspended), Haraldsson (Injured), Bentaleb (Illness), Mbappe (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
MONACO VS LILLE PREDICTION
Monaco have perhaps been gung-ho since the arrival of Hutter but things do seem a little more refined and, without being too dismissive of last season, a little more mature and serious. They take on a Lille side at Stade Louis II that will also try to play on the front foot and it would not be a shock to see them score. This could well be quite an entertaining encounter for the neutral as they both gear up for UEFA Champions League matches in midweek.
MONACO VS LILLE TIP: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
