Lille OSC vs OGC Nice Prediction:

This Friday’s action in France sees Nice travel from the South to the North to face Lille in a battle between 4th and 5th, with both sides being a win away from possibly reaching 3rd, victory would be integral to each side’s Champions League chase. Equally, a loss could see either side drop down as far as 7th place with the close nature of the Ligue 1 table.

Key Stats:

• Lille are unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions and are currently 13 unbeaten in Ligue 1, however, eight of those games have been draws.
• Lille have drawn their last 3 league games.
• Only Marseille and PSG have earned more points than Nice in their last 6 games.
• Nice are the 3rd top scorers in the league with 35 goals.
• Nice are unbeaten at home, all three of their losses have come on the road.
• Lille have conceded more goals at home (10) than they have away (6).

Lille OSC vs OGC Nice Previews, Form and Players to Watch:

Lille come into this game winless in three, with eight draws and five wins in their last 13 league games. They have a clear issue with turning draws into wins despite not losing since mid-September. Nice have the better form in the last four games, with three wins and one draw. They’ve only lost once in their last 13 league games. As both clubs are hard to beat, this match is set up to be a tasty affair.

Lille OSC Preview:

Predicted Line Up (4-2-3-1): Lucas Chevalier, Aissa Mandi, Bafode Diakite, Alexsandro, Ismaily, Benjamin Andre, Andre Gomes, Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, Remy Cabella, Angel Gomes, Jonathan David

Lille might potentially head into this fixture with next Tuesday’s Champions League matchup on their mind. The French side have had a brilliant season in Europe so far, beating Real Madrid and drawing with Juventus, they are unbeaten in their last 5 Champions League games and are currently in 8th, meaning they are set to head straight into the round of 16.

Jonathan David is a name that seems to constantly be linked with a move to a giant club, as he performs every season for Lille, and it has been no different this year as he is the joint top scorer in the league with 11 goals as well as 6 goals in Europe. If anyone is likely to score in this tie it is the Canadian.

OGC Nice Preview:

Predicted Line Up (4-1-4-1): Marcin Bulka, Jonathan Clauss, Melvin Bard, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Hicham Boudaoui, Tanguy Ndombele, Badredine Bouanani, Sofiane Diop, Evann Guessand, Gaetan Laborde

Despite sitting a place higher in the Ligue 1 table, Nice cannot boast the same European record this season as Lille, as they have had an awful time in the Europa League as they are winless in their six games, have two points and have lost to the likes of Rangers, Union Saint Gilloise and Ferencvaros.

A difference maker for Nice could be Evann Guessand, the Ivorian international has played in almost every game for the Eagles this season and has 14 goal contributions in all competitions including 8 goals in the league. Despite making his first senior appearance for the club over four years ago the forward has shown signs of development this season, often playing alongside experienced players like Laborde.

Head-to-Head Stats - Lille OSC vs OGC Nice

The two sides are regular French top-flight participants and have played each other 42 times in Ligue 1 since 2003. Nice has won 14 of those meetings, Lille won 9 and there have been 19 draws. Their last five meetings are as follows:

• Nice 2-2 Lille, November 2024
• Lille 2-2 Nice, May 2024
• Nice 1-1 Lille, August 2023
• Nice 1-0 Lille, January 2023
• Lille 1-2 Nice, August 2022

Betting Tips for Lille OSC vs OGC Nice

Lille is having a tough time turning draws into wins currently whereas Nice is in better form than they were at the start of the season. Both of them are tactical teams who work hard on the small details. They know what they can do and what they can not do. So we should see a controlled display from both teams, especially in the first half with neither side forced to score quickly because they won't let counterattacks happen.

For that reason, our betting experts have gone with a draw at halftime as our best value tip for this game.

Odds of 5/4 mean that a £10 bet has the potential to return up to £22.80 in this match.

(odds subject to change)

Final Prediction:

Lille OSC 1-1 OGC Nice