Two underachieving French clubs, at least domestically, will meet on Sunday as Lyon hosts Lille. Both sides finished at the top of their group in European competition but they’ve struggled for form in Ligue 1.
Although they’re both within striking distance of the top four, Lyon enter the match in eighth and defending Ligue 1 champions Lille is in 11th. The expected midseason uptick in form hasn’t occurred yet for either team but there are still plenty of games left for that to change.
Entering Sunday, Lyon comes in as the home soccer betting favorites despite struggling mightily vs Lille over the last decade.
Lyon vs Lille Betting Preview
- Game: Olympique Lyonnais vs LOSC Lille
- Location: Groupama Stadium, Décines-Charpieu, France
- Date/Time: Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET
| Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Total | Team Total |
| Lyon | -½ -125 | -125 | 2½ -130o | 1½ -130o
1½ Evu |
| Lille | +½ -105 | +330 | 2½ Evu | ½ -200o
½ +160u |
| Draw | +280 |
Lyon vs Lille Head to Head
Lyon and Lille most recently met in December. They drew 0-0, although Lille had the better chances in the match. Lille are undefeated in their last 10 Ligue 1 matches vs Lyon and last lost in 2016. During that span, Lille has won five meetings and five have ended in draws.
Lyon: Improving Form
Olympique Lyon managed a 1-1 draw at Lens last weekend as Tino Kadewere got on the scoresheet for the visitors. Since 2022 began, Lyon have picked things up a bit and lost just one match while winning four of their last six. They should be one of the more solid Ligue 1 soccer picks in the last third of the season.
Still, Lyon are in eighth and have a lot of work to do to secure Champions League qualification. Getting Karl Toko Ekambi back from the African Cup of Nations, where he scored five goals, should definitely help. He was on target in Lyon’s impressive 2-0 win over third-place Nice a couple weeks back and adds another weapon to Lyon’s attack.
Lyon were very busy in January as they signed attacking midfielder Romain Faivre from Brest and brought back midfielder Tanguy Ndombele on loan from Tottenham. Their arrivals have helped to lessen the sting of losing Bruno Guimaraes to Newcastle.
Along with Guimaraes, forward Islam Slimani also departed the club. Xherdan Shaqiri, who just joined Lyon six months ago from Liverpool, just sealed an exit this week to Chicago Fire of MLS.
Attacking mid Rayan Cherki, who has only made three starts, is expected to be out until May with a metatarsal fracture.
Lille: Losing Steam
Lille came up against Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday and fell 2-0 on the road. Thomas Tuchel opted to bench Romelu Lukaku and play Kai Havertz as a false nine and Lille struggled to contain him.
It’ll be tough for Les Dogues to bring the tie back vs the defending Champions League winners and it’ll also be tough for them to even qualify for next season’s UCL. Lille have been a shell of what they were last season and are in 11th place, nine points behind Nice for the final Champions League place in Ligue 1. They’ve been too inconsistent to recommend betting online lately.
A paltry effort vs a Metz side in the relegation zone last weekend resulted in a 0-0 draw. Lille midfielder Edon Zhegrova got sent off after being on the field for just 10 minutes. Just a few weeks removed from a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of PSG, I’m not sure Lille have fully recovered.
They have just two goals in their last five competitive matches and seem to be running out of ideas on offense. Jonathan David was Lille’s main man in the first half of the season, but he’s yet to score a goal in 2022 and is no longer Ligue 1’s leading scorer.
Time may be running out for manager Jocelyn Gourvennec unless Lille are able to get things together in the final third of the season.
Lyon vs Lille Prediction
Lyon have really struggled with Lille in recent years but they’ve been the better team over the last few months. When these two sides last played, neither team got on the scoresheet and I think it may be similarly difficult here.
Lille haven’t been creating anything as of late and I’d be a little surprised if both teams get on the scoresheet. That said, for Sunday’s match, take under 2½ for online gambling.
