Lille and Reims will both be out to record back-to-back victories in Ligue 1 when the two in-form sides face off at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday afternoon.
Les Dogues scraped a 1-0 win at basement side Nimes last time out, while Reims recorded a vital victory of their own over Saint-Etienne in gameweek 19.
Match preview
© Reuters
A Lille team with title ambitions would have been expected to sweep aside Nimes with complete ease last weekend, but a Burak Yilmaz goal - the veteran's 11th of the campaign in all competitions - was all that separated the two sides at the Stade des Costieres.
While the manner of that victory was certainly not as dominant as many fans would have predicted, being able to grind out narrow wins away from home can ultimately prove to be the difference between champions and also-rans.
Christophe Galtier's side now find themselves just one point behind leaders Lyon ahead of their 20th match of the season, but Paris Saint-Germain are not relinquishing their crown with a fight and find themselves sandwiched in between the two sides, with Lille's defeat to Angers on January 6 putting a massive dent in their title hopes.
Les Dogues' opening two performances of 2020 have not inspired much confidence within their supporters, but this is one of the most open Ligue 1 title races in recent history and Lille would temporarily overtake Lyon with a win before the leaders host Metz a few hours later.
While Galtier's men are on a three-game winning streak away from home, they will be hoping to avoid a third-straight match without victory on familiar territory, and Reims should certainly give them a good run for their money following a drastic turnaround in fortunes.
© Reuters
Any fears of relegation for Reims are close to being quashed following an encouraging run of results, and they will attempt to stretch their unbeaten run to six matches when they make the daunting journey to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
David Guion's charges have recorded victories over Nantes, Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne in the past month to rise to 14th in the table - nine points clear of the bottom two and seven clear of Dijon in the relegation playoff spot.
The inspiring form of 12-goal striker Boulaye Dia has been key to Reims' upturn in results recently, and the 24-year-old's brace in last weekend's 3-1 win over Saint-Etienne took him level with Kylian Mbappe in the top scorer charts.
Nine of Dia's 12 strikes have come on the road this season, and Reims' total of 18 away goals is the joint-highest in the league alongside PSG, although only one of their last five matches on unfamiliar territory has ended in victory for Les Rouges et Blancs.
A Jonathan Bamba goal was enough to propel Lille to victory in the reverse fixture back in August, and Reims have not won a Ligue 1 game on Les Dogues' turf since January 2014.
Lille Ligue 1 form: WWDWLW
Reims Ligue 1 form: LWDWDW
Team News
© Reuters
Lille will be boosted by the returns of Yusuf Yazici and Luiz Araujo after the duo recovered from coronavirus, and the former could slot straight back into the first XI.
Liverpool-linked midfielder Renato Sanches is also pushing for a start in the engine room after returning to full fitness, but right-backs Jeremy Pied and Zeki Celik - the latter of whom has resumed training - are unlikely to be declared fit.
Centre-back Adama Soumaoro has joined Bologna on loan after struggling to displace Jose Fonte and Sven Botman in Galtier's rearguard.
It is no surprise that Reims' strong run of results coincides with their near-empty medical room, and Guion could be blessed with a fully-fit squad if Anastasios Donis is given the green light to return.
However, Donis is certainly not expected to challenge Dia for a spot up top, with Guion likely to keep faith with the same XI from last weekend's dominant win over Saint-Etienne.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Djalo, Fonte, Botman, Reinildo; Ikone, Andre, Sanches, Bamba; Yazici, Yilmaz
Reims possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Foket, Faes, Abdelhamid, Konan; Chavalerin; Zeneli, Cassama, Cafaro, Mbuku; Dia
We say: Lille 3-2 Reims
The result of this highly-anticipated tie could simply be determined by which marksman manages to find their shooting boots - the experienced Yilmaz or the up-and-coming Dia. Reims are renowned for their prolific form on the road and Lille have not kicked off 2021 in dominant fashion, but the hosts are nearly back to full strength at a crucial time, so we expect Les Dogues to just edge this one.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Lille win with a probability of 60.68%. A draw had a probability of 23% and a win for Reims had a probability of 16.28%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lille win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.82%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.17%) and 2-1 (9.54%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.82%), while for a Reims win it was 0-1 (6.15%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Lille would win this match.
