Lille vs Nantes – News and Probable Lineups

Lille will welcome Nantes this Sunday evening for a Ligue 1 encounter, with the hosts looking to secure their third victory within a week across all competitions in order to maintain their hopes for Europa League qualification.

Nantes, on the other hand, continue their struggle against relegation as they head north to France, seeking to build on their recent win in the league.

Match overview

Lille has enjoyed a remarkable week, kicking off with a 1-0 win over Angers in Ligue 1, followed by a 2-0 victory against Crvena Zvezda on Thursday that allowed them to progress to the next round of the Europa League.

Les Dogues will be eager to enhance their league performance, having secured only one win in their last seven matches, although that victory was their most recent away result against Angers.

During this stretch, they have found it difficult to score, netting only three goals while conceding eleven, with no more than a single goal scored in any of those matches.

Supporters will hope to see improvements in their poor home form, as Lille has not secured a victory in their last three league matches at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

This marks their longest winless home run since April 2022, when they also failed to win in three consecutive matches, with the worst stretch occurring in December 2018, where it extended to four games.

Nantes approaches this fixture sitting in the relegation zone, currently ranked 17th and tied on points with Auxerre, who occupy the position directly above them in Ligue 1.

This season, the visitors have managed only four victories from their 23 league appearances, in addition to five draws and 14 defeats.

Nantes secured a 2-0 victory against Le Havre in their last Ligue 1 outing, putting an end to a streak of five successive defeats, but they have not managed to achieve back-to-back wins in the top flight since August 2024.

In their last five away matches in Ligue 1, they have lost four, winning only one, after going four games without a defeat previously.

Nantes fans will be hoping for an improvement in their away performance, having played 11 matches on the road from Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau this season, accumulating nine points from 33 available.

Team News

Lille is facing a considerable list of injuries for this match, as Hamza Igamane, Ousmane Toure, Thomas Meunier, Osame Sahraoui, Marc-Aurele Caillard, and Ethan Mbappe Lottin are all unavailable.

Oliver Giroud is expected to continue leading the attack for the hosts, having scored a goal in each of their last two fixtures, securing three points last weekend before advancing in the Europa League.

Nantes will be pleased that Mohamed Kaba was fit enough to start against Le Havre after being a concern leading up to that match.

Bahmed Deuff and Amady Camara are both still out due to injuries, while there are worries regarding the fitness of Deiver Machado, who was substituted at halftime last time after returning from hamstring issues.

Ignatius Ganago, who netted one of the goals in their 2-0 victory over Le Havre, could be a doubt for the visitors as he had to be taken off after 53 minutes due to injury.

Matthis Abline and defender Kelvin Amian missed the last match, but their leading scorer is expected to return to the side after serving a suspension, and the full-back should be available to play after an administrative issue previously.

Lille probable starting XI:

Author; Santos, Mandi, Ngoy, Perraud; Bouaddi, Andre; Perrin, Correia, Fernandez-Pardo; Giroud

Nantes probable starting XI:

Lopes; Awaziem, Cozza, Youssuf; Centonze, Kaba, Lepenant, Tabibou; Leroux, Cabella; Abline

Lille is anticipated to possess too much quality for Nantes in this encounter, as the visitors will be hoping their freshness could aid them in achieving a draw or perhaps even more. Despite their injury concerns, the hosts should manage to secure all three points.