Lille vs Slovan Bratislava Prediction & Tips
With one defeat in their last nine official matches (G4, E4), Lille are well on track both domestically and in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). Having taken four points from their first two UECL matches this season, Lille now face the only side in the group with more points than them, Slovan Bratislava, meaning that this pair of head-to-heads in their next two group matches could be decisive in terms of qualification.
This will be Lille’s first ever clash against Slovakian opposition, and having been beaten in just one of their last six home games in European competitions (G3, E2), they should be confident of marking the occasion with a positive result. They also had the advantage of playing at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy over the weekend in a 1-0 win over Brest, with the pitch in a significant state of disrepair following its use in the Rugby World Cup, so bad that Lille coach Paulo Foonceso called it “catastrophic”.
Coming in on the back of an eight-game winning streak, Slovan Bratislava know they have a chance to win anywhere at the moment. A 2-1 win in the Western Slovak derby against Spartak Trnava over the weekend sees them sit top of their domestic league with a game in hand on their nearest challengers as they continue their quest for a sixth consecutive league title.
The focus now turns to the UECL, and because their two wins in this Group A so far have been by one goal difference, they cannot afford to be complacent. The fact that their only previous visit to France ended in a 1-0 loss to PSG will back up that sentiment, but with a four-game unbeaten away run in the UECL at present (G3, E1), they will go into this match knowing they can spring a surprise.
Players to watch: Having played together in the international break, the Canadian duo of Jonathan David and Milan Borjan now face each other. David has scored eight of his last nine home goals for Lille after the break, but will have to work to continue that against Borjan, who records three clean sheets in five away games in European competition this season.
Key stat: Lille have conceded more than one goal in an official home match on two occasions since late October 2022.
Lille – Slovan Bratislava FREE TIPS
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