Preview: Lille vs. Reims
Lille welcome Reims to Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Tuesday in the final fixture of week six in Ligue 1.
The home side are seeking their eighth consecutive victory in front of their fans, while the visitors look to end a disappointing defensive road record against a side they have recently fared well against.
Paulo Fonseca must have looked forward to Tuesday’s game since they played out a 2-2 draw with Rennes in gameweek five.
The Mastiffs return to the front of their adorning supporters knowing they could match a club record of consecutive home triumphs on Tuesday — eight successive victories.
Seven straight wins on home soil is the league’s current lengthiest sequence, and Lille’s run without conceding a goal at home this season is a statistic they hold alone in the competition this term.
Maximum points could take the 10th-placed Les Dogues into the European places, with success seeing them move above Strasbourg (10 points) and Le Havre (nine points).
However, Fonseca’s men must end their ongoing three-game run without defeating Reims, a disappointing spell that has resulted in two defeats since Lille’s last victory in September 2021.
Preview: Lille vs. Reims – prediction, team news, lineups
Despite the away side’s recent impressive record against Lille, Will Still’s men have been leaky defensively at the start of the new campaign, conceding five times in three road fixtures.
That run without an away shut-out goes back to last season, when the Red and Whites conceded nine times in their final four games on their travels.
This season has seen Still’s troops score six times away from Marne, suggesting Tuesday’s visitors could end Lille’s ongoing run without a goal conceded on home turf.
That is an undoubted improvement on the one goal in four away trips for Reims at the backend of last season, and the visiting club seek to return to winning ways after a two-game winless run.
Victory in Lille extends the away side’s unbeaten run against the hosts to four games, taking them above Fonseca’s men, who are just two points ahead of the visitors.
Lille Ligue 1 form:
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Lille form (all competitions):
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Reims Ligue 1 form:
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We say: Lille 2-2 Reims
Despite Lille’s impressive home record giving them the edge, Reims could end that seven-game winning run due to their attacking approach, with both sides likely to play out an entertaining game at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.