What: French Ligue 1
Who: Lille vs Paris Saint-Germain
When: Saturday 29th April, 2012, at 20:00 UK Time
Where: Stade Lille Metropole, Lille, France
Nothing To Lose
With Lyon six points behind, and Montpellier ten ahead following their win at Toulouse on Friday night, Lille seem to be in control of a Champions League spot, but just too far off a title tilt. The reigning champions will know however that victory can give them renewed hope of at least finishing second. And that prize brings automatic qualification for the Champions League next season – it would also turn the title race on its head.
There is little to lose here for Rudi Garcia’s side, who know that they are also playing their final few games with playmaker Eden Hazard. Lille are unlikely to finish any lower than third, so may as well go for the jugular. Suspension aside, Dmitri Payet has finally been showing good form, whilst Joe Cole has rediscovered some of his early season promise for the run-in.
And though usually a team third so late in the season is unlikely to win the league, as they rely on two teams slipping up, Lille are in the less usual position of chasing a duo which have little experience of going the distance in a title race recently.
Though the northern France side will know Montpellier are probably too far ahead to be caught, Lille go into this weekend’s game still with faint hope of retaining their title.
Ancelotti Finds the Right Blend
Paris Saint-Germain have not won at Lille since 1997, and have only ever emerged victorious three times at the reigning champions. The signs are positive though, as a 6-1 triumph over Sochaux last weekend seemed to signal a dramatic return to form not just for the team as a whole, but also Javier Pastore, who has been below par since his brilliant start to life in Paris. On Friday he admitted that he has deserved criticism for an “up and down” season, but insisted he is now in shape again.
"It’s very hard to be at your highest level throughout the season”, said the Argentine “Even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sometimes faced criticism. But now I feel good both physically and mentally, and I’m ready to fight for the title."
Pastore certainly shone against Sochaux, and Carlo Ancelotti may now have stumbled across the right system. Having chopped and changed since arriving, the Italian has managed to derail but not destroy PSG’s title hopes, and it will be interesting to see his line-up for what is a crucial game.
PSG will be worried about finishing third if they go down to Lille, as they may not be seeded in the Champions League draw next season if they have to go through qualifiers, so could play the likes of Chelsea, Napoli or Athletic Bilbao, depending on how other leagues finish. And with Montpellier’s impressive win at Toulouse, the pressure is all on Ancelotti’s men going into this clash in the north of France.
Recent form
Lille:
Brest 3-1 Lille (07/04; Ligue 1)
Lille 4-1 Ajaccio (15/04; Ligue 1)
Dijon 0-2 Lille (21/04; Ligue 1)
Paris Saint-Germain:
Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Marseille (08/04; Ligue 1)
Auxerre 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain (15/04; Ligue 1)
Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 Sochaux (22/04; Ligue 1)
Key absences
Lille: Eden Hazard (doubt); Florent Balmont
Paris Saint-Germain: Clement Chantome (doubt); Maxwell (doubt)
Players to watch
Lille – Eden Hazard: The obvious star of Rudi Garcia’s side, Hazard is even more important this year than last, when he was so crucial in the run to the league title. Last year Lille had Hazard operating with Gervinho and Moussa Sow, and they formed a potent front three. Both have now gone, and though Nolan Roux has been useful up front, there has not been the same fluidity going forward, which has been in part the explanation for Lille’s inconsistency. But Hazard is still the best player in France and on his day can provide that magical moment in a game which swings it Les Dogues’ way. And he will want to sign off with a bang in his final few matches for the club. He is a doubt for this, but Garcia will do everything to ensure the Belgian is available.
Paris Saint-Germain – Jeremy Menez: Carlo Ancelotti chose to field a team without a recognised centre forward against Sochaux last weekend to accommodate Pastore, Jeremy Menez and Nene in the same team, and it brought out the best of them, as they scored four of the six goals. Nene got two, but has been far more productive at the Parc des Princes, whilst Pastore has had an off and on season, not helped by injury. Menez therefore could be key here to the team’s attacking fortunes, as PSG look for what could be a crucial victory in the title race.
Match Prediction
Lille will take the game to PSG and hope to expose a backline that has been leaky on occasion, and which Ancelotti seems undecided over. Garcia’s men, good in possession, should be able to monopolise the ball, but will have to make good use of it as PSG have players who can hurt them on the break. It will be interesting to see if Ancelotti sticks to a formation without a recognised striker, as against a team who will push them back into deep areas, it may be hard to find an ‘out ball’ for quick counter attacks.
The visitors do though have enough talent to score on the break, but Lille will smell blood, and against a team who have not been in a title race going into the last weeks of the season for some time, may find some nervous heads and a winning goal. Hazard can punish the Parisians, and inspire his team to what could be the most significant result in this season’s title race. Lille 2-1 PSG.
Lille v PSG is a huge game in Ligue 1. Who do you think will win? Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
