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Lille
Ligue 1
Jan 24, 2015 at 4pm UK
 
Monaco

0-1

FT(HT: 0-0)
Berbatov (57')

Preview: Lille vs. AS Monaco

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Ligue 1 match between Lille and in-form Monaco at the Stade Pierre-Mauvoy.

AS Monaco will be looking to keep the pressure on the top four in Ligue 1 when they travel to face Lille at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Saturday afternoon.

Leonardo Jardim's side have been in fine form since December, climbing up the table with a run of 10 wins and no defeats in their last 11 games in all competitions.

They have picked up 16 points from the last 18 available in Ligue 1, leaving them four points off the top four and just five adrift of third-placed Paris Saint-Germain.

Most impressive of all has been their sensational defensive record, with Monaco keeping six clean sheets in a row and conceding just one goal - to league leaders Lyon in a cup match - in their last 10 outings. They have not conceded a league goal since November 29.

By contrast, their away form has been a little patchy, but they have won their last two on the road and haven't been beaten by a team currently outside the top half all season.

Indeed, only Saint-Etienne have amassed more points on their travels in the current campaign.

Jardim will be without Geoffrey Kondogbia, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ricardo Carvalho, but Jeremy Toulalan could be fit to start having returned in midweek.

Dimitar Berbatov and Layvin Kurzawa were both rested for the Coupe de France win over Evian TG and will face late fitness test, while Bernardo Silva is now a permanent Monaco player and should start once again.

Lille, meanwhile, find themselves still in the bottom half and closer to the relegation zone than they are to the top four, but steadily creeping up the standings.

Rene Girard's side began 2015 with back-to-back 1-0 league victories, but fell to their first defeat of the year last weekend by the same scoreline at the hands of Lorient.

They have a good record in front of their own fans, however, winning their last five home games in all competitions and conceding just one goal in the process.

Only the league's top three have better home records than Lille, who have picked up no fewer than 22 of their 27 points at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Michael Frey and Simon Kjaer both picked up injuries in the last match and will not be available this weekend, while Marvin Martin and Adama Soumaoro are also sidelined.

They should be boosted by the return of Liverpool loanee Divock Origi, however, with the striker now knowing that he will spend the rest of the season in France.

Lille:

Form in Ligue 1: DWLWWL
Form in all competitions: LLWWWL

Possible starting lineup: Enyeama; Corchia, Basa, Rozehnal, Beria; Balmont, Mavuba, Delaplace, Lopes; Roux, Origi

Monaco:

Form in Ligue 1: WWWWDW
Form in all competitions: WWDWWW

Possible starting lineup: Subasic; Fabinho, Raggi, Wallace, Kuzawa; Silva, Toulalan, Moutinho; Berbatov, Martial, Ferreira-Carrasco

Sports Mole says: 0-0


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Monaco's Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov (L) celebrates with Monaco's Belgian midfielder Yannick Ferreira Carrasco after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match against Toulouse on December 5, 2014
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CParis Saint-GermainPSG312010176294770
2MonacoMonaco32187762422061
3Brest32169749331657
4Lille311510645271855
5Nice31149836251151
6Lens32147114234849
7Rennes32129115143845
8Marseille31111194738944
9Lyon31135134251-944
10Montpellier HSCMontpellier321011114144-340
11Toulouse321010123942-340
12Reims31117133845-740
13StrasbourgStrasbourg3299143547-1236
14NantesNantes3296172949-2033
15Le HavreLe Havre32711143342-932
16Metz3285193454-2029
17Lorient3268183763-2626
18Clermont32510172654-2825


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