Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Lille
Match Time & Date:
12/02/2023
15:00
Prediction: 2-0
Strasbourg
Lille will be looking to keep their Champions League hopes alive when they take on Strasbourg in the Ligue 1 round 23. Les Dogues are six points behind top three, meaning that Sunday’s clash is of big importance for the home team. Timothy Weah is widely expected to replace Ismaily in the starting XI, while both Adam Ounas and Gabriel Gudmundsson remain on the sidelines with injuries.
Meanwhile, Le Racing recorded a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Montpellier, but they need to keep on making progress if they are to secure yet another Ligue 1 survival. Anyhow, home win should be considered as Strasbourg have been struggling on the travels this season. In the first half of the season les Dogues outplayed le Racing 3-0. As for the away side, Jean-Eudes Aholou is banned for the match, while all Delaine, Kawashima, Bellegarde, Nyamsi, and Perrin are out of contention through injuries.
Highlighted Player (Jose Fonte):
Born in Penafiel in 1983, Jose Miguel Da Rocha Fonte spent his early career in the lower divisions of the Portugal’s league system, and while he did join giants Benfica in 2006, he never made a single league appearance for the Eagles.
The loan spell with Crystal Palace proved crucial for the towering defender as he later secured a permanent move to Selhurst Park, performing well in three Championship campaigns. Fonte then surprised everyone when he joined League One side Southampton, but that would prove to be the best decision he has ever made, as he helped the Saints return to the Premier League before establishing himself as one of the leading central defenders in the elite division.
Rated for his aerial ability, but also quite capable on the ground, Jose Fonte even caught the eye of England’s top clubs, although a big club move never materialised for him. The late bloomer eventually played himself into the first team plans of Portugal coach Fernando Santos, making his Selecao debut at the age of 30.
Highlighted Team (Strasbourg):
Founded back in 1906, Strasbourg is a professional football team that compete in French Ligue 1. Le Racing did remarkably well to win the 1979 Ligue 1 trophy and that is considered the biggest success in the history of the club. Strasbourg won Coupe de France on three occasions (1951, 1966, 2001) and they have three Coupe de la Ligue trophies as well (1964, 1997, 2005). Strasbourg’s main rivals are Metz and the two teams face each other in the Derby de l’Est (The Eastern derby).
Le Racing recorded their biggest victory over Valenciennes (10-0) in the 1937-1938 season, whilst they suffered their biggest loss to Limoges (0-8) in the 1959/1960 season. Paraguayan goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, who is well known for his free-kick abilities, played for the club from 2000 to 2003, but he failed to score in a league match during his spell with the Stade de la Meinau outfit. Speaking of Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg’s home ground was opened back in 1914 and the capacity of the venue is 29,320.
Sparta Prague 
Atletico Madrid 
Barcelona 
Brest
Bayer Leverkusen 
Salzburg 
Bayern Munich 
PSG
Inter 
Leipzig 
Man City 
Feyenoord 
