Nine points separate Lille and Nice in France’s Ligue 1. Nice manager Patrick Vieira has watched his team go undefeated in their last four matches.
The French club gave up just two goals in 360-minutes of football strengthening its push for the Champions League. Just three points separate Nice and Saint Etienne in the race for the top four.
Lille are second in the table, but just three points separate them with third place Lyon. Lille have won three straight games, and if it weren’t for Paris Saint-Germain running away with the title, they would have a real say in the championship. As it is, Lille are simply aiming to finish second and holdoff Lyon as the season goes into the homestretch. There are still 16 games to play for both teams this term and a lot can happen between now and the end of May.
Neither of these teams concede a lot of goals. Vieira has made Nice into a defensive juggernaut allowing just 19 goals in 22 matches. It is the third lowest goals allowed record in Ligue 1. Lille are no defensive pushovers either. Christophe Galtier’s team has the fifth lowest goals conceded rate at 22.
Nice’s defence has been the key to the team’s season and is truly the only reason the club is fighting for a European place. Nice have struggled in front of goal scoring the second lowest number of strikes this term (18).
Vieira was unable to get goals from Nice’s top striker, Mario Balotelli, in the first half of the season. Balotelli failed to find the back of the net in 10 appearances and was signed by Marseille in January after Nice terminated his contract. Vieira’s team averages just 0.8 goals per game. Twenty-one-year-old attacking midfielder Allan Saint-Maximin leads the team in goals with six.
Lille are third in Ligue 1 in scoring with 36 goals. Galtier’s free-flowing side averages 1.6 goals per game. Nicolas Pepe has turned into a real star at Lille this term as he has scored 15 goals and tallied seven assists. Pepe has contributed to 22 of Lille’s 36 goals and is truly the team’s most valuable asset. Don’t expect Pepe to be at Lille next season as a Premier League club will most likely pay top dollar for him.
Despite being second in the league, Lille have played poorly against Nice in their last six meetings. Nice recorded four wins and two draws in their last six games against Lille. Just twice have the two teams scored over 2.5 goals. In fact, there have been under 2.5 goals in 11 of their last 13 matches in all competitions.
Nice’s stout defence will hold Lille on Friday night as the game ends in a score draw. Despite both teams getting a goal, this fixture will have under 2.5 goals scored.