Montpellier vs Lille prediction, preview, team news and more | Ligue 1 2020-21
Lille will be hoping to finish as Ligue 1 winter champions after taking on Montpellier in the final game of this calendar year.
With nine wins and just a single defeat from 16 games in the season, Les Dogues are leading the pack at the summit.
Their record is identical to that of Lyon, who've accrued the same number of points as them but remain on top courtesy of a superior goal difference.
Lille have even accrued three points more than what they did in the 2018-19 season at this stage, making it their best start to a top-flight campaign in over 60 years.
Montpellier's erratic campaign sees them languish sixth in the standings with 27 points from 16 games. They are desperately looking for three points in the upcoming match to keep pushing for a European return.
Montpellier vs Lille Head-To-Head
In 29 meetings between the sides, Lille have beaten Montpellier 14 times, but also lost nine times. Montpellier's last defeat came back in November 2017. Last season, the sides met once before Ligue 1's suspension, with Lille winning 2-1 at home.
Montpellier Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-W-L-D
Lille Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-W-W-D
Montpellier vs Lille Team News
Montpellier do not have any fresh injury concerns going into the match. However, midfielder Teji Savanier must be careful as he is one yellow card away from suspension.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Renato Sanches is the only major absentee for Lille as the Portuguese midfielder continues his recovery from a muscle injury he sustained last month.
Injured: Renato Sanches
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Montpellier vs Lille Predicted XI
Montpellier (5-3-2): Jonas Omlin; Arnaud Souquet, Pedro Mendes, Hilton, Daniel Congre, Nicolas Cozza; Florent Mollet, Joris Chotard, Keagan Dolly; Gaetan Laborde, Andy Delort.
Lille (4-4-1-1): Mike Maignan; Zeki Celik, Jose Fonte, Sven Botman, Reinildo Mandava; Jonathan Ikone, Benjamin Andre, Boubakary Soumare, Jonathan Bamba; Yusuf Yazici; Burak Yilmaz.
Montpellier vs Lille Prediction
Lille are in really good form this season. Last week, they held reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain to a goalless stalemate to preserve their lead at the top of Ligue 1.
IMontpellier have won only 50% of their home games this season, and it will take a monumental effort to stop Lille from winning this encounter. We expect the visiting team to be too strong for the hosts on Wednesday.
Prediction: Montpellier 1-2 Lille