This Saturday, March 1, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) take on Lille (4th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off 9.05pm, UTC+1) as part of the 24th day of Ligue 1 2024-2025. And as before every match, here’s a presentation of the Parisians’ opponents.
Lille’s situation –
After a very difficult period, LOSC bounced back perfectly in 2017, thanks in particular to the arrival of coach Christophe Galtier in 2017. They even took advantage of PSG’s poor season in 2020-2021 to become champions.
But what followed was more complicated, with Galtier leaving for Nice and being replaced by Jocelyn Gourvennec. Gourvennec lasted one season, but was sacked after finishing 10th in the league, and was replaced by Paulo Fonseca in a bid to rediscover a more attractive style of play and results.
It took some time for the Portuguese coach’s project to settle in, but in the end it was a success. Except that he in turn left (for AC Milan, a failure by the way) and was replaced by Bruno Génésio.
The 2024 summer mercato –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals:
The 2024/2025 winter mercato –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrival:
Key statistics –
This season, Lille has the 7th best attack in the league with 36 goals scored (the leader, PSG, is at 59, and the last, Le Havre, is at 18), and is among the 2nd best defenders with 22 goals conceded (the leader is PSG with 20, and the last, Montpellier, is at 52).
Lille’s top scorer is Jonathan David (23-year-old striker) with 12 goals, ranking 3rd in the league (Ligue 1’s top scorer is Ousmane Dembélé with 16 goals). David is also Lille’s top passer with 3 assists and is 32nd in the league (Dilane Bakwa is first with 7 assists).
Lille’s last 5 games –
Only Lille possession is shown and Lille shots are put first (when data is available).
29/01/2025 (LDC) – Lille/Feyenoord – 6-1. In 4-2-3-1. 62% possession. 14 shots including 5 on target vs. 7 shots (3 on target).
01/02/2025 (Ligue 1) – Lille/Saint-Etienne (down to 10 at the 48th minute, 1-1): 4-1. In 4-2-3-1. 68% possession. 29 shots, including 13 on target, against 9 shots (2 on target).
04/02/2025 (French Cup) – Lille/Dunkerque: 1-1 (4-5 on penalty shootout). 4-2-3-1 formation. 60% possession. 17 shots, including 9 on target, against 5 shots (1 on target).
08/02/2025 (Ligue 1) – Lille/Le Havre: 1-2. In 4-2-3-1. 68% possession. 14 shots including 5 on target vs. 14 shots (6 on target).
16/02/2025 (Ligue 1) – Rennes (10 a-side)/Lille – 0-2. In 4-2-3-1. 63% possession. 18 shots (7 on target) vs. 4 shots (0 on target).
The squad and probable team.
Out – Umtiti, Sahraoui, Santos, Zhegrova (injury).
The line-up according to the press, 4-2-3-1 (L’Equipe) :
David
Fernandez-Pardo – Haraldsson – Bakker
André – Mukau
Gudmundsson – Alexsandro – Diakité – Meunier
Chevalier
Lille’s style of play.
Génésio’s attacking approach is based on possession and passing. We’ve already seen him be ambitious against PSG and cause problems, so we’re not expecting Lille to regroup around their goal. Watch out, too, for a certain strength in the air. But PSG could well rely on difficulties with transitions. Even so, Lille may be a little more cautious than against other opponents.
