Lille – Metz | 18/02/2022 LIGUE ONE

Two sides who have fallen below expectations in Ligue 1 this season meet in the weekend’s first game as Lille welcome Metz to Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Friday evening. The reigning champions’ stuttering title defence sees them stuck in midtable, whilst their visitors dropped into the relegation zone last weekend.

Disappointed at their current mid-table berth, defending champions Lille will at least look to claim consecutive wins in Ligue 1 for the first time in 2022, after defeating Montpellier 1-0 last weekend. It was that same scoreline by which they won last season’s corresponding fixture against Metz, which has set them up to win consecutive top-flight home H2Hs for the first time since January 2006.

Fans should expect a lively start, as four of Lille’s previous five league outings at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy have seen the opening goal scored within ten minutes. That may not go in their favour though, considering only once across Lille’s previous 34 Ligue 1 campaigns have they conceded more goals at this stage than the 35 they’ve currently let in!

Yet here they face a side, Metz, with a joint league-low four victories in Ligue 1 this campaign (W4, D8, L12). That has the visitors sitting above the table’s bottom spot on goal difference only, as coach Frédéric Antonetti continues to struggle to find a regular starting XI, with Metz among just a handful of teams to have used at least 35 players in the top-five European leagues this term.

Their away form could save them from the drop though, as the ‘Grenats’ have claimed 65% of their points on the road, while losing just one of their previous six league road trips (W2, D3). Here, they’ll look to extend their run of two Ligue 1 away clean sheets with a third shutout, which would mark their longest such run in a single season since April 1998!

Date: 18/02/2022
Time: 23:00
Venue: Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Villeneuve d’Ascq)
Pick for this match:
“1” – @ 1.62 ( 22BET )

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Samuel

I am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos.

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Samuel

I am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos.