The champions face a difficult away trip: Lille vs PSG prediction
The second-round Ligue 1 match between Lille and PSG will take place on 28 August at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille. The hosts began the season with a 2-0 victory over Angers, while the reigning French champions dropped their first points after drawing 2-2 away to Rennes.
Lille: Ancelotti begins with a convincing victory
Davide Ancelotti made a successful debut in charge, with goals from Olivier Giroud and Tiago Santos securing Lille's victory over Angers, while Berke Özer made four saves to keep a clean sheet. The hosts can now win their first home match of a Ligue 1 season for the fifth consecutive year.
However, their recent results at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy have been far from ideal, with Lille winless in their previous three home league matches and scoring only once during that period. Their record against PSG is even more concerning: the northern side have failed to beat the Parisians in 10 consecutive competitive meetings.
PSG: the champions have already shown their character
Luis Enrique's side made a poor start against Rennes but managed to fight back and take a point. Ferran Torres was the standout performer, scoring twice in his first competitive appearance for PSG — the club had not seen a debut like it since Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2012.
The Parisians are still some way from their best, while the squad situation makes the task even more difficult: Ousmane Dembélé is injured and Nuno Mendes is suspended. Nevertheless, PSG still possess enormous squad depth and have scored at least three goals in six of their last 10 matches against Lille.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Lille began the league campaign with a 2-0 victory over Angers.
- PSG are unbeaten against Lille in 10 consecutive competitive matches.
- The Parisians have scored at least three goals in six matches during that run.
The hosts can exploit the champions' problems: Lille vs PSG prediction
PSG remain favourites based on the quality of their squad, but the start of the season has shown that the team are not yet operating at full capacity. Lille look well organised and, at home, are capable of taking advantage of their opponents' personnel problems.
At the same time, PSG should still have enough attacking quality to respond with goals of their own even without several important players. The match looks suited to open football, but neither side may establish a clear advantage.
