Lille vs Le Havre – News and Probable Lineups

A crucial three points will be on the line for both Lille and Le Havre when they clash on Sunday during Ligue 1 action at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Last week, Lille climbed to third place after a narrow 1-0 victory over Paris FC, whereas Le Havre currently sits in 14th place following a thrilling 4-4 draw with Metz.

Match overview

The battle for Champions League spots is tighter than ever, with Lille only one point behind Rennes, who occupies fifth place.

Currently, Les Dogues are just below Lyon on head-to-head points for a spot in the League Phase of that competition.

Bruno Genesio’s squad is on an 11-match unbeaten streak in this tournament and could extend that to twelve on Sunday, a feat they haven’t achieved since September 2024 to January 2025 (14).

If they secure wins in their final two league matches at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, they will register double-digit home victories for a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 season.

Lille has not conceded in any of their past four domestic matches, allowing only two goals in five Ligue 1 home fixtures since February.

In fact, four of their last five encounters against Le Havre have ended favorably for Les Nordistes, who managed a 1-0 win in Normandy last November.

Once again, Le Havre finds itself in a precarious position in the fight to avoid relegation.

With three Ligue 1 fixtures left to play, they sit six points clear of the relegation playoff zone, still searching for a win after nine games in this league.

Nonetheless, they have managed to earn points in four consecutive domestic matches and could secure their spot in Ligue 1 for another season with a draw on Sunday, provided Auxerre loses.

Le Havre is yet to record an away victory in the top-flight this year, although they managed to earn points in their last two matches away from Stade Oceane.

Didier Digard’s side could match their overall points tally from the previous season with a win in their next match, having conceded a goal or none in their last two away league encounters.

While their recent performances against Lille have been less than stellar, Les Ciel et Marine won their last visit to Stade Pierre-Mauroy with a 2-1 result last season.

Team News

Lille is expected to be without Marc-Aurele Caillard on Sunday as he continues to recover from an elbow injury, Marius Broholm is dealing with a sore leg, Nabil Bentaleb is a doubt due to an infection, while Hamza Igamane and Ousmane Toure are sidelined with cruciate ligament tears.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo converted a penalty in the 27th minute last weekend, while Berke Ozer didn’t need to make a single save for his league-leading 12th clean sheet of the season.

Over at Le Havre, Abdoulaye Toure is nursing a knee injury, Stephan Zagadou is out with a cruciate ligament issue, and Arouna Sangante will serve one more match in suspension.

Fode Doucoure, Yanis Zouaoui, Yassine Kechta, and Mbwana Samatta all scored during their spirited encounter with Metz.

Lille probable starting XI:

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

Le Havre probable starting XI:

Diao; Nego, Seko, Lloris, Zouaoui; Here, Ebonog; Doucoure, Kechta, Soumare; Samatta

Le Havre will find it more challenging to create clear chances against Lille compared to last week, and we anticipate that the home side’s depth and attacking strength will be decisive in this match.