Monaco will be looking to take a huge step towards a top-four finish when they welcome Lille to Stade Louis II on Sunday evening in an all-important Ligue 1 clash.
The hosts bounced back from successive defeats last time out with a victory over Angers, whilst Lille were unable to earn anything out of their match with Reims.
Match preview
© Reuters
Monaco got their Champions League push back on track last weekend with a 2-1 win at already-relegated Angers, with goals from Aleksandr Golovin and Myron Boadu making sure of the points.
That victory at Stade Raymond-Kopa came at the best time - Les Rouge et Blanc suffered a difficult eight days to round off their April schedule, losing 3-0 at Lens before being dismantled at home by Montpellier.
Philippe Clement's men sit fourth in the Ligue 1 standings with four matches left to play, six points behind third-placed Marseille and five ahead of Sunday's opponents Lille in fifth.
Having finished third in the last two seasons, it appears unlikely that Monaco will be able to progress up the table this term, but a top-four finish for a side who were fighting off relegation in the 2018-19 campaign would still be a success.
Stade Louis II has not been a productive home ground for Clement's charges this season, with six of their eight Ligue 1 losses coming in front of their home faithful.
© Reuters
Lille face their second away match in succession this weekend after narrowly losing to Will Still's Reims at Stade Auguste-Delaune II last Sunday following a first-half goal from Marshall Munetsi.
Paulo Fonseca's side have struggled on their travels of late, being unable to earn maximum points in games at Angers, Auxerre or the aforementioned Reims in each of their last three league outings.
Currently sitting in fifth in the league standings, improvement on last year's uninspiring 10th-placed finish is almost guaranteed, with the aim now to secure European football for next year - even if that is only in the Europa Conference League.
Les Dogues may not be one of the division's standout performers this season, but they certainly possess one of the brightest stars in Ligue 1, with Canadian Jonathan David only trailing Kylian Mbappe and Alexandre Lacazette in the race for the Golden Boot.
The 23-year-old has scored 21 goals in 33 league appearances for Lille this season - statistics which have prompted a host of Premier League clubs to take interest in the former Gent man.
Team News
© Reuters
Monaco remain without striker Breel Embolo for the visit of Lille this weekend, with the Swiss forward continuing his recovery from a knee injury picked up in March.
Malang Sarr also sustained a serious knock in March - the 24-year-old's abdominal injury has seen him play no part for Clement's side since the 1-0 defeat against Reims two months ago.
The hosts will be unable to call on both Ben Yedder and Guillermo Maripan on Sunday evening, with the duo suspended for the clash against Les Dogues.
Lille centre-back Tiago Djalo is sidelined for the remainder of the campaign after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in March - the 23-year-old has been a mainstay in the XI since joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2019.
Algerian winger Adam Ounas is still recovering from a thigh injury picked up in the 3-0 win over AC Ajaccio, meaning Edon Zhegrova of Kosovo is expected to retain his place in the visitors' lineup.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Disasi, Matsima, Henrique; Vanderson, Matazo, Fofana, Diatta; Minamino, Golovin, Boadu
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Diakite, Fonte, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Andre, Gomes, Zhegrova, Cabella, Bamba; David
We say: Monaco 1-1 Lille
Monaco squeezed past Angers in their last match but have been disappointing in recent times, and we expect them to struggle to keep Lille's David at bay this weekend.
Les Dogues are on the hunt for a top-four standing in these final quartet of fixtures - Fonseca's side should be good enough for a point on their travels on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
