Saturday 30/09/2014, 17:00, France Ligue 1, Round 4, Monaco vs Lille
Monaco vs Lille Preview
After a successful campaign of friendly games, Monaco was in danger of becoming the biggest train wreck of the French first division. They were abysmal in the first two rounds and only managed to score once against teams that shouldn't create them any problems. Monaco now welcomes Lille for a home game that promises to be quite intense, as the visiting team is trying to put the elimination from the Champions League qualifiers behind them.
Monaco vs Lille Odds
Monaco 2.00, Draw 3.20, Lille 4.35
Monaco vs Lille Tips
Monaco used three strikers in all the games played so far in the French first division, but they still had to settle for a single goal scored in each of those matches. Having better ball possession and exercising constant pressure didn't deliver the expected results and it came as no surprise that the visitors found their way to the net on so many occasions.
On the bright side, Falcao seems to be back in form and the fact that he scored twice already, is reassuring for team that competes with PSG for the title. He is guaranteed to spearhead the offensive once again, being joined on the flanks by Germain and Ocampos. Berbatov and Martial will be waiting on the bench for a chance to play and past performance suggests that they will be used in the second half.
Lille was hoping for their Champions League campaign to be the best yet, but they were stopped in their tracks by Porto. The Portuguese side steamrolled past their defensive and scored a combined three goals while keeping a clean sheet in both fixtures. This is the main concern for Lille who has a hard time scoring goals and rarely wins uphill battles.
Roux and Mendes are being used up front match after match, but so far they are still chasing their first goals. On the road, Lille is a big fan of defensive football and even though the starting formation will remain the conventional 4-4-2, preventing Monaco from scoring will be the top priority.
Key Facts
- Lille only scored three goals in the last five games and one team kept a clean sheet in all of them
- The hosts won four the last five games, with the last victory on the road occurring in 2009.
Monaco vs Lille Prediction
Monaco is not in the best form but they are clearly on the mend and the fact that bookmakers are as generous as to offer even odds for a home win is great news. Punters shouldn't wait any longer, because the odds are very likely to plummet by the time the match starts, with Pinnacle Sports offering the best value at the time of writing.
Bet: Monaco @ 2.00 with Pinnacle Sports
