Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Lille
Match Time & Date:
08/01/2022
17:00
Prediction: 1-1
Lorient
Lille and Lorient go head to head at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on day 20 of the current Ligue 1 campaign. Les Dogues did well to beat Bordeaux 3-2 in their last league match, but it has to be noted that several first-team regulars will miss the Lorient game through coronavirus. All Benjamin Andre, Xeka, Jonathan David, Isaac Lihadji, and Domagoj Bradaric are quarantined, but neither of Lille players will take part at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Les Merlus, on the other hand, did well to hold league leaders PSG to a draw before the New Year Break, and given the number of absentees in the home team, we believe that the visitors will pick up one point from Saturday’s clash as well. All Samuel Loric, Stephane Diarra, Jeremy Morel, and Fabien Lemoine are sidelined with injuries, but there are no suspended players in the away side.
Highlighted Player (Jonathan Bamba):
After spending his youth career at CS Paris-Charenton, UJA AlfortVille and Saint-Etienne, Jonathan Bamba started playing for Saint-Etienne II at senior level. In 2015 he was given a chance to prove his worth with the first team and it has to be noted that he scored eight goals in 42 appearances for les Verts in Ligue 1.
Following his loan spells with Paris, Sint-Truiden and Angers, Jonathan Bamba joined Lille in the summer of 2018. The pacey winger born in Alfortville (France) on March 26, 1996, has been playing for les Dogues ever since, but he has yet to earn a cap for the French national team. Nonetheless, Jonathan Bamba has 12 caps with France U21 in which he scored four goals for les Tricolores.
Jonathan Bamba’s main position is left winger, but he is used as a centre-forward as well. The French footballer, whose preferred foot is right, has a contract with Lille until June 30, 2023.
Highlighted Team (Lorient):
Founded back in 1926, Lorient is a French football club that competes in Ligue 1. Les Merlus have yet to win the Ligue 1 trophy, but they did well to go all the way in the Coupe de France in the 2001/02 season. In the title game, Lorient defeated Bastia thanks to Jean-Claude Darcheville’s goal.
The same season les Merlus made it to the Coupe de la Ligue final, but Bordeaux proved to be a big catch (0-3) for them in the title game. Lorient welcome their rivals at Stade du Moustoir, the stadium which can hold up to 16,392 spectators. The colour of the team’s home shirt is orange with a little black on it, while white is the dominant colour of their away jersey. In the 2002/03 season Lorient represented France in European competitions.
Les Merlus, though, failed to impress on their debut in the UEFA Cup as they were beaten by Denizlispor in the round 1 double-header.
