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

Monaco will be looking to start the new season with back-to-back wins when they travel to Stade Pierre-Mauroy for Sunday's Ligue 1 meeting with Lille.

As for the visitors, they are hoping to claim their first win of the campaign after playing out a draw in their opener against Brest.

Match preview

Lille will be targeting European qualification again after finishing in the top five in each of the past three Ligue 1 seasons.

The French side have seen key players like Lucas Chevalier and Bafode Diakite depart in recent weeks, but they delved into the transfer market to bolster their ranks with the additions of Arnaud Bodart, Berke Ozer, Nathan Ngoy, Romain Perraud, Marius Broholm, Olivier Giroud and Felix Correia.

Giroud scored the opener on his Lille debut in last weekend's six-goal thriller against Brest, which saw Bruno Genesio's side give up a 2-0 and 3-1 lead in a 3-3 away draw.

Les Dogues will now return to the familiar surroundings of Stade Pierre-Mauroy, where they lost just two of their 17 home league games last season.

In fact, Lille picked up 37 points across those fixtures to finish the season with the third-best home record, so they will be determined to carry that form into their first home outing of the new campaign.

The hosts can certainly take confidence from the fact that they have won each of their last three home games against Monaco, including a 2-1 victory when the two sides last met in February.

Monaco would have been satisfied with their work last season after they collected 61 points from 34 matches to pip Nice to third position.

Having finished in second and third place in the last two years, Monaco will be looking to enjoy another strong campaign in 2025-26, although they will realistically be targeting Champions League qualification rather than challenging Paris Saint-Germain for the Ligue 1 title.

Adi Hutter's side made a number of notable additions in the summer, recruiting Paul Pogba, Eric Dier, Ansu Fati and Lukas Hradecky.

Hradecky and Dier were both in action in Monaco's league opener against Le Havre, with the latter finding the net in a 3-1 victory, along with a Maghnes Akliouche effort and a Gautier Lloris own goal.

Les Rouge et Blanc are now aiming to start a Ligue 1 season with back-to-back victories for a third consecutive campaign.

However, that may be easier said than done as Monaco have not beaten Lille away from home since picking up a 2-1 victory in May 2022.

Lille Ligue 1 form:

Monaco Ligue 1 form:

Team News

Lille defender Ousmane Toure is set for an extended spell on the sidelines after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the opening game against Brest.

Ethan Mbappe and Tiago Santos remain sidelined, while Aissa Mandi, Osame Sahraoui and Edon Zhegrova are all doubts after they missed the first game of the season.

Thomas Meunier, who was suspended for the opening match, is set to come into the side for Sunday's fixture, while there could also be a starting spot for Mathias Fernandez-Pardo.

As for the visitors, they are expected to be without summer signing Pogba, who is working on his fitness following a long spell without competitive football.

Another new addition, Fati, is also looking to build up his sharpness following his move from Barcelona, with the forward likely to come into the fold after the September international break.

Forward Folarin Balogun is in contention to make his first appearance of the season after sitting out the opening game due to injury.

Lille possible starting lineup:

Ozer; Meunier, Ngoy, Alexsandro, Perraud; Mukau, Andre; Fernandez-Pardo, Haraldsson, Correia; Giroud

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Hradecky; Teze, Dier, Mawissa, Henrique; Camara, Zakaria; Akliouche, Minamino, Golovin; Balogun

We say: Lille 2-2 Monaco

Monaco will be eyeing another victory after beating Le Havre on matchday one, but they have struggled for wins against Lille in recent times, and with that in mind, we think that the visitors will have to settle for a share of the spoils in Sunday's fixture.

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