Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Lille
Match Time & Date:
29/04/2023
17:00
Prediction: 2-0
Ajaccio
Lille and Ajaccio go head to head at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in the Ligue 1 round 33. Les Dogues are eager to stay in top five and they are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach in Saturday’s encounter. A man to watch in the home team will be Canada forward David, who found the net in a 1-1 draw with Auxerre, while Benjamin Andre is back from suspension. Both Adam Ounas and Tiago Djalo are sidelined with injuries, but there are no suspended players in the home team this time out.
Ajaccio, on the other hand, are stuck in the relegation zone with slim survival chances and given their dreadful losing run in the French top flight, we predict that the hosts are going to pick up all three points from the match. Yoann Touzghar misses out through suspension, while Cyrille Bayala is widely expected to replace Mickael Barreto in the starting XI.
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 (Lille):
Lille have been playing an important role in French football ever since they were founded in 1944. Les Dogues won their first domestic trophy in the 1945/1946 season.
Lille did well to win their second Ligue 1 title in 1954 and 57 years later they lifted their last domestic title. Les Douges finished the 2010/2011 season in top position in the standings, eight points clear of second-placed Olympique Marseille and it has to be noted that Lille attacker Moussa Sow won the Golden Boot (25 goals).
Lille are one of the two teams that managed to win three consecutive Coupe de France trophies (1946, 1947, 1948), but they have yet to clinch the Coupe de la Ligue title. Les Dogues faced PSG in the 2015/2016 Coupe de la Ligue trophy, but les Parisiens proved to be a big catch for Frederic Antonetti’s team in the title game.
Lille play their home matches at Stade Pierre-Mauroy and the capacity of the stadium is 50.186. The venue was opened in August, 2017 and the construction cost €282 million.
