Lille vs Clermont Prediction & Betting Tips - Ligue 1

Prediction published on 02/02/2024, 06:40  by Devesh Jaganath in Ligue 1 Predictions

Two sides on opposite paths in Ligue 1 will face off this weekend when Lille play host to Clermont Foot on Sunday afternoon. The hosts are currently in fifth place in the league standings, while the visitors are second-bottom. It has been another steady season for Lille as they find themselves firmly in the race for Europe as we enter the second half of the campaign. They are on 32 points after 19 matches, just three points below Brest, who currently occupy the third and final Champions League qualification spot. The Mastiffs began 2024 with a bang as they fired 12 goals past lower division opponents Golden Lion in a lopsided Coupe de France encounter. That was followed with a 3-0 win over Lorient and a 1-0 win over Racing in the Round of 16 of the CDF. Last week, though, the hosts played out a disappointing 0-0 draw away to Montpellier, which saw them pass up a golden opportunity to move up the table with Monaco and Brest also dropping points. Nevertheless, against a struggling Clermont, Lille are heavily fancied to take all three points in this match. 

Meanwhile, 2023-24 has been nothing short of a nightmare for Clermont, who ended last season comfortably in the top half of the league standings. They have managed just 15 points this season, leaving them only two points above bottom club Lorient and two points from safety. The Lancers picked up four much-needed points in their last two league games, beating Nantes 2-1 and holding Strasbourg to a 1-1 draw last weekend. Between those results, they were knocked out of the Coupe de France, also by Strasbourg, with a 3-1 scoreline. Notably, Clermont have performed a little better on the road than on their home patch this season - of their 15-point tally, nine points came in away games. However, they have not beaten this opponent in their last four meetings and were outscored 6-0 in that time.