Ligue 1 preview: Lille OSC vs Olympique Lyonnais

Lille OSC are scheduled to host Olympique Lyonnais in Sunday’s late kick-off from the Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Christophe Galtier’s side have remained unbeaten since the start of the season with five wins and three draws from eight league games.

They are only goal difference behind table-toppers Paris Saint-Germain and it is their best-ever league start since the 2001/02 season.

Elsewhere, Lyon made a slow start to the campaign with just seven points from the opening six games which included the solitary win.

They have, however, gathered momentum in recent weeks and are currently on a two-match winning league streak.

That sees them with 13 points on the board, five adrift of Lille and just two behind Rennes, who are occupying the final Champions League spot.

Head-to-Head meetings:

The teams have met on 99 occasions and Lille have been the slightly superior side with 39 wins compared to Lyon’s 34.

Lille are undefeated against Lyon in seven league meetings with four wins and three draws.

Lyon have not beaten Lille in Ligue 1 since the 2016/17 season. Back then, they secured successive 1-0 triumphs.

Players to watch out for:

Jonathan Bamba – Lille: The 24-year-old has been in fine form for Les Dogues this term after an average 2019/2020 campaign where he contributed only one goal and five assists from 26 league matches. The former France youth international has bagged three goals and four assists from just eight league games this season and he has caught the eye with his direct runs from the left wing position. Bamba has managed more dribbles (2) per game than any other Lille player and he has been equally impressive on the defensive front with more than one tackle per 90 minutes.

Karl Toko Ekambi – Lyon: The Cameroon international lead the line during the opening five league games of the season without much success. However, he has excelled since Rudi Garcia decided to play him on the left wing and has netted braces in each of the previous two games against Strasbourg and AS Monaco. The 28-year-old is not a natural in the wide attacking position, but he is currently going through a purple patch and should be the main threat to Lille’s backline. Aside from his dribbling qualities, Ekambi is a solid finisher and bring his teammates into the game with his good hold-up play.

Predicted Score:

Lille are flying high at the moment with an eight-match unbeaten run, but they will come up against Lyon, who have hit seven goals in the previous two games which they have won. It could be a potential high-scoring contest and we are predicting a 2-2 draw, which has been the case in three of their previous five meetings.

Lille OSC 2-2 Olympique Lyonnais

Stats from Transfermarkt.com