The Matchday 20 clash in Ligue 1 between Lille and Saint-Étienne will take place on February 1 at the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq. Lille vs. Saint-Étienne: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Lille
In the previous round, Bruno Génésio's side suffered a 1-2 defeat to Strasbourg. This result ended the team's 14-match unbeaten run in the league (6 wins, 8 draws). The club is currently in 5th place in the standings, trailing their nearest rival, Nice, by just one point. Notably, Lille has conceded 19 goals in this Ligue 1 campaign, with only Lens (18) and PSG (17) having better defensive records.
Key midfielder Benjamin André will miss the match due to suspension after accumulating yellow cards.
- Both teams scored in 7 of Lille's last 8 home league matches.
- No more than three goals were scored in 5 of Lille's last 6 home games in this tournament.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 6 of Lille's previous home matches in Ligue 1.
Predicted lineup for Lille (4-2-3-1)
Lucas Chevalier – Gabriel Gudmundsson, Bafodé Diakité, Aïssa Mandi, Thomas Meunier – Benjamin André, Ayoub Bouaddi – Mitchel Bakker, Hákon Haraldsson, Osame Sahraoui – Mohamed Bayo.
Saint-Étienne
In their 19th-round match, the team drew 1-1 with Auxerre. The club has won only once in their last 7 league matches (2 draws, 4 losses). Eirik Horneland's side is in 15th place in the standings, just one point above the relegation playoff zone. Notably, Saint-Étienne has scored only 18 goals in this Ligue 1 campaign, with only Le Havre (14) having a worse record.
Forward Ibrahima Sissoko is suspended for this match.
- The club lost 5 of their last 6 away league matches.
- No more than three goals were scored in 4 of Saint-Étienne's last 5 away games in this tournament.
- The team scored in 5 of their last 7 away matches in Ligue 1.
Predicted lineup for Saint-Étienne (4-3-3)
Gauthier Larsonneur – Léo Pétrot, Mickaël Nadé, Dylan Batubinsika, Denis Appiah – Lamine Fomba, Pierre-Emmanuel Ekwah, Mathys Amougou – Zuriko Davitashvili, Lucas Stassin, Augustin Boakye.
Referee
Éric Wattellier (France)
Matches – 9 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 34;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.8;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 0%.
Match Prediction: Lille vs. Saint-Étienne
Lille has been dropping points frequently in recent league matches. The team has not won in 4 of their last 5 games in this tournament (3 draws, 1 loss). Their sole victory in this stretch was a narrow 2-1 win against Nice. These results are linked to the club's attacking issues, as Bruno Génésio's side has scored no more than one goal in 4 of their last 5 Ligue 1 matches. Additionally, Lille will be playing this match after a Champions League game, which might affect their physical readiness.
Saint-Étienne has also struggled for positive results in the league recently. The club has won just once in their last 5 matches in this tournament (2 draws, 2 losses). However, Saint-Étienne has shown decent performances in this stretch, and if they did lose, it was by a narrow margin – 1-2 against Toulouse and 1-2 against PSG. I anticipate that in the upcoming match against Lille, the team will put up a fight, and if they do lose, it will be by just one goal. My prediction: Saint-Étienne with a handicap (+1.5)
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their previous match in this tournament.
