Monaco vs Lille
France – League Cup
Date: Tuesday 17th December 2019
Kick off at 20:05 UK/ 21:05 CET
Venue: Stade Louis II.
After the 2018/19 horror season, the Monegasques got off to a catastrophic start this season. Leonardo Jardim’s squad did not get a leg on the ground at the start of the season and missed one win in the first six games. The relegation ranks were home to the Monegasques early on.
The neighborhood derby against OGC Nice was the turnaround for the Jardim charges in the previous season. In the meantime, the entry-level champion has fought his way up and, with 25 points, is ninth in the table.
Euphoria would still be presumptuous, but after months of setbacks, the shape curve definitely points in the right direction. Monaco have collected seven points in the last three league games. At the weekend there was a goalless draw against SCO Angers after two wins.
However, the rethinking of philosophy cannot be dismissed out of hand. The championship in 2017 got a very young, hungry, talented team. In the meantime, the back of the youth craze has been turned and a disproportionate number of “oldies” can be found in the Monegasque lineup. Fabregas, Slimani, Ben Yedder & Co are certainly not cheap players.
The return to Europe is all the more important. In this respect, it is quite possible that Monaco pays a little more attention to the Coupe de la Ligue than the guests from Lille will do. With a perfectly acceptable 5-1-2 home record between Monaco and Lille, a prediction of the home win is justified.
Lille:
How fast-moving football is today can best be explained using the example of the Lille OSC. The club near the Belgian border prevented the descent into Ligue 2 in 2017/18.
Last year, Christophe Galtier’s team got into a frenzy and got into the top group in the table. Finally there was the title “Best of the Rest” behind PSG, that is the vice championship.
After a big bloodletting in the summer, the Vice Champion was a little lacking in consistency at the start of the season. Every win was followed by another setback. In the first 14 league games, the Galtier team did not achieve a “back-to-back” win in a row. Most recently, however, the team presented itself as strong as a bear and celebrated one victory in the last four league games.
What is particularly striking is the fact that this success was achieved thanks to the stability on the defensive. After three 1-0 victories, there was a 2-1 victory against HSC Montpellier last Friday. Only one goal in four games is the cornerstone of success and ensured that Lille is currently in third place with 31 points.
There will certainly be changes at Lille on Tuesday. However, nothing will change in the game philosophy. The guests will act on a safe defensive. It is not for nothing that there have only been five goals in eight away games so far.
In general, the away balance sheet is alarmingly weak (1-2-5). This means that the odds offered between Monaco and Lille, which the homeowners consider to be their favorites, are justified.
Monaco vs Lille: Prediction
We think Monaco hold the card in this game. True Lille are on form but at home Monaco have been superb in the last four weeks and they have a great record over Lille where the away side have no wins in the last 10 years.
We think there will be goals in this game and we will pick out a Monaco player to get on the score sheet, but our main choice here will be to see the home win.
Monaco are set to play a very decent team and it could be possible that Lille who are looking for a European spot via the league may just rest a few players for the weekend Ligue 1 matches.
Monaco vs Lille: Bet Tips
Monaco to beat Lille at 2.10 (11/10)
Anytime goal scorer: Cesc Fabregas (Monaco) at 3.00 (2/1).
