Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Ligue 1 clash between Lille and Angers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Fighting for a place in Ligue 1‘s top six, an inconsistent Lille will welcome newly-resilient Angers to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday afternoon.
Les Dogues will be looking to bounce back from defeat last time out, while Le SCO are aiming to make it four games unbeaten this weekend.
Match preview
Bruno Genesio‘s Lille qualified for the Europa League in 2024-25, but they are currently in mixed form and will need to improve to reach Europe this term.
On Wednesday, Les Dogues followed up their 6-1 trashing of Metz by losing 2-0 to fellow continental-hopefuls Nice, marking their third defeat in their last six league games.
That defeat has Genesio’s side seventh in the table with 17 points, though they remain just two points shy of the four teams between sixth and third that are level on 19 – Lens, Lyon, Strasbourg and Marseille.
This weekend’s hosts started their campaign with three home wins on the bounce, but after winning just one of their last four at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, fans would be forgiven for having doubts about their team’s chances of reclaiming a spot in the top six.
Three points on Sunday could lift Lille up to third in a best-case scenario, but they will drop down to eighth if they fail to match Les Aiglons’ result.
Meanwhile, Alexandre Dujeux‘s Angers survived in Ligue 1 last season following their promotion, finishing 14th – three points clear of Reims in the relegation playoff spot – and they have made a commendable start to their latest survival effort.
Most recently, Le SCO earned a point in a 2-2 stalemate with high-flying Marseille, taking the lead through a first-half effort from 18-year-old Sidiki Cherif before a 96th-minute equaliser from Ousmane Camara rescued the game.
Drawing in midweek came as part of the club’s current three-game unbeaten run – which also features a 2-0 win over Lorient and a 1-1 tie with title-chasing Monaco – a stark turnaround from their three straight defeats in the weeks prior.
Avoiding defeat against Les Olympiens on Wednesday put Angers 13th in the top flight, where their tally of 10 points has them three above the bottom two.
However, while Le SCO have proven resilient ahead of this weekend, they have been significantly less effective on the road, and considering that they have lost three and drawn two of their away matches in 2025-26, they will be looking over their shoulders at Lorient, who are just one point behind in the playoff spot.
Lille Ligue 1 form:
Lille form (all competitions):
Angers Ligue 1 form:
Team News
Lille will be without midfielder Ethan Mbappe once again as he works his way back from a hamstring injury, so expect to see Benjamin Andre and Ayyoub Bouaddi operate in a double pivot, with Hakon Arnar Haraldsson behind striker Hamza Igamane.
Elsewhere, young centre-back Ousmane Toure is likely to miss the vast majority of the season, though Nathan Ngoy and Aissa Mandi should be on hand to start this weekend, and goalkeeper Berke Ozer should return to the XI after missing the game against Nice through illness.
As for Angers, centre-half Emmanuel Biumla is sidelined with a thigh injury, and Ousmane Camara should partner Jordan Lefort at the heart of the visitors’ defence.
At the opposite end of the pitch, winger Jim Allevinah is dealing with a calf issue, and striker Prosper Peter is managing a thigh problem of his own.
In their absence, Amine Sbai and Yassin Belkhdim are likely to support striker Sidiki Cherif from out wide, while Louis Mouton backs him up from an attacking midfield role.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Ozer; Meunier, Ngoy, Mandi, Perraud; Andre, Bouaddi; Correia, Haraldsson, Fernandez; Igamane
Angers possible starting lineup:
Koffi; Arcus, Camara, Lefort, Ekomie; Belkebla, Abdelli; Belkhdim, Mouton, Sbai; Cherif
We say: Lille 1-1 Angers
Lille have won just one of their last four home games, and only two of their last six overall in the top flight, so they may have to settle for a point this weekend.
Angers pulled off impressive draws against Marseille and Monaco either side of a win over Lorient in their last three games, and despite being underdogs, they may feel quietly confident of frustrating top-half opposition once again.
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