Young Boys – Lille: Will Lille extend their winning streak?
On Thursday, 11 December, we’re in for a sixth-round Europa League clash between Young Boys and Lille. The match kicks off at 18:45 CET, and I’m offering you a betting pick for this encounter.
Young Boys – Lille: Match facts and head-to-head
- Young Boys are winless in three straight matches: two defeats and a draw.
- Lille have won four matches in a row.
- At home, Young Boys are unbeaten in their last three games: two wins and a draw.
- Lille have lost three of their last four away fixtures.
- Lille have kept a clean sheet in 25% of their matches this season, Young Boys in 16%.
- In 40% of their matches this season, Young Boys scored in both halves.
- Lille have more clean-sheet victories: 35% compared to Young Boys’ 12%.
- Young Boys have scored more than 1.5 goals in six of their last ten matches, Lille in four.
- Young Boys and Lille have never faced each other before.
Young Boys – Lille: Match preview
Young Boys opened their Europa League campaign with a 1–4 defeat to Panathinaikos, but bounced back with wins over FCSB and Ludogorets. However, they have lost their last two matches and currently sit on six points after five games. They are 26th in the overall ranking and trail the playoff-zone team only on tiebreakers. The fight for a playoff spot will be extremely tense, so every point is crucial from here on out.
The same applies to Lille, although they find themselves in a slightly more comfortable position. They’ve won three of their five matches: 4–0 against Dinamo Zagreb, 1–0 against Roma, and 2–1 against Brann. That gives the French side nine points and 11th place in the standings. Just one point separates them from the top eight and a legitimate chance to advance directly to the round of 16. Their current form is especially encouraging: four consecutive victories. They’ve also kept three straight clean sheets, so they are clearly travelling to Switzerland with the intention of extending that run.
Probable line-ups
- Young Boys: Keller; Janko, Zoukrou, Benito, Hadjam; Raveloson, Lauper; Males, Pech, Virginius; Monteiro
- Lille: Ozer; Meunier, Ngoy, Mandi, Perraud; Andre, Bentaleb; Mukau, Mbappe Lottin, Correia; Igamane
Prediction
Lille are in excellent form, they’re not conceding, and I believe they’re the favourites in this match. Young Boys will certainly put up a fight, but I don’t expect them to win. My recommendation is to back the visitors.
