Angers vs Lille – News and Probable Lineups

This Sunday evening, Angers will welcome Lille to the Raymond Kopa Stadium for a Ligue 1 clash, with Lille looking to assert their claim for a spot in next season’s Europa League.

Angers, meanwhile, also have their sights set on European qualification, as a victory in this fixture would narrow the gap to Les Dogues to just two points.

Match overview

Currently sitting in 11th place with 29 points from eight wins, five draws, and nine losses, Angers is just five points shy of Lille, who occupy fifth position.

Les Scoistes will be optimistic about closing the gap to the visitors this weekend, having secured victories in their last two home matches in Ligue 1.

A win for Angers would mark their first instance of three consecutive home wins in the top flight since September 2019.

However, they need to overcome a poor recent record against Lille, having lost their last three encounters with them.

If Angers fall to Lille and do not score, it would be just the second time in the club’s history that they have lost four consecutive league games against the same opponent without finding the net, the previous instance being against Nantes from 1969 to 1971.

This scenario appears likely for Alexandre Dujeux’s team, as they have recorded 21 matches without scoring in Ligue 1 since the beginning of last season, the highest number in the league.

On the other hand, Lille currently sits fifth in the league, possessing 34 points from 10 wins, four draws, and eight losses, occupying a place for Europa League qualification next season.

Nonetheless, there is concern within the club regarding their form, as they have not managed to win any of their last six Ligue 1 fixtures and enter this match after a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Crvena Zvezda in the Europa League.

Fans expressed their frustration following this latest loss, launching flares onto the pitch as players attempted to show gratitude for their support on Thursday evening.

Lille’s away performance does not boost confidence for securing a victory here, considering they haven’t won in their last four matches across all competitions.

However, Lille can draw confidence from their recent record against Angers, claiming a 1-0 win in their prior meeting this November, courtesy of Felix Correia’s goal in the 47th minute.

Team News

For this match, Angers will be missing Carlens Arcus, who is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, and there are doubts surrounding the fitness of Harouna Djibirin.

In a more positive development, any injury fears regarding Louis Mouton and Haris Belkebla appear to have dissipated, as they both participated in Angers’ recent loss to Lorient.

Lille will be significantly impacted by injuries, with Hamza Igamane and Ousmane Toure sidelined due to ruptured cruciate ligaments, and Thomas Meunier is also expected to be absent because of hamstring issues.

Osame Sahraoui, Marc-Aurele Caillard, and Ethan Mbappe Lottin are also likely to miss out on this fixture; however, Noah Edjouma has returned from his injury concerns and played in Thursday’s Europa League match.

Angers probable starting XI:

Coffee; Bamba, Camara, Lefort, Ekomie; Belkebla, Van den Boomen; Raoliosa, Belkhdim, Mouton; Koyalipou

Lille probable starting XI:

Author; Bouaddi, Mandi, Ngoy, Perraud; Mukau, Andre; Perrin, Haraldsson, Correia; Fernandez-Pardo

Lille is expected to eventually improve their form this weekend against Angers and may secure a late victory, given that they have scored the highest number of Ligue 1 goals in the last 15 minutes of matches. This comes despite Angers’ strong defensive record in that timeframe, having conceded only three times this season.