Preview: Lille vs Brest - prediction, team news, lineups

Lille will put their unbeaten record at home on the line Saturday as they return to Stade Pierre-Mauroy to face Brest on matchday seven of the Ligue 1 campaign.

Despite a 1-0 win over Le Havre last week, Les Dogues head into this weekend a point behind Monaco for first, while Stade Brestois moved up to seventh after a comfortable 5-1 home win against Angers.

Match preview

After another rough European outing this week, Lille will hope to regain some confidence this weekend, coming off a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in Champions League action on Tuesday.

Davide Ancelotti’s men have lost two of their last three competitive games, conceding five goals in total over that stretch.

While they have given up six goals in just two European outings this season, Lille have allowed the joint-fewest goals (four) in Ligue 1 after six matchdays.

A triumph this weekend would extend their domestic winning run at Stade Pierre-Mauroy to three matches, their longest such streak in top flight this year, and just one short of their longest home winning run in this competition last season.

Overall, they are the joint-best side in the league for goals conceded per match (0.7), while scoring in every competitive home game so far.

Les Nordistes have never lost a home match against Brest this century, winning three of those last four meetings which took place at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

The Stade Brestois attack fired on all cylinders last week, going ahead early and rarely letting up throughout the first 45 minutes.

While this team have netted multiple goals in four of their six league matches so far, last weekend’s performance was the first time we saw this team find that killer instinct and leave no doubt.

Julien Lachuer will hope for a repeat performance on Saturday as Brest aim to avoid suffering successive Ligue 1 away defeats.

While Brest head into this match with the second-highest expected goals ratio in the French top flight (13.6), they have conceded nine times in this competition, the second-most among teams currently in the top half of the table.

They have drawn first blood in all three of their away outings domestically this season but have already dropped five points when doing so.

Les Pirates will seek their first Ligue 1 win at Lille since 1989 (2-1), though they earned a point in their two meetings against them last season.

Lille Ligue 1 form:

Lille form (all competitions):

Brest Ligue 1 form:

Team News

This weekend, Lille could be missing Ethan Mbappe Lottin with an ankle strain, while Tiago Santos is questionable due to an injury and Hamza Igamane is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear.

Dilane Bakwa notched his second of the campaign on matchday six, with Berke Ozer collecting his third clean sheet of the competition, the joint-most among Ligue 1 goalkeepers.

On the Brest side, Giovani Versini has a sore knee, Raphael Le Guen is out with a broken fibula, Brendan Chardonnet has a calf strain and Romain Cagnon is questionable because of a knock.

Ludovic Ajorque, Lucas Tousart, Kenny Lala, Mama Balde and Pathe Mboup all found the back of the net in an emphatic win over Angers.

Lille possible starting lineup:

Ozer; Srdanovic, Nianzou, Alexsandro, Verdonk; Bentaleb, Andre; Mukau; Haraldsson, Bakwa; Giroud

Brest possible starting lineup:

Selvik; Lala, Tousart, Lloris, Locko; Chotard, Magnetti; Balde, Doumbia, Mboup; Ajorque

We say: Lille 2-0 Brest

Despite a rough showing in midweek against Arsenal, Lille always seem to come back strong after a defeat and should be at ease returning to Stade Pierre-Mauroy, where they have looked impenetrable defensively throughout this season.

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