Lille can stretch their unbeaten run to 13 matches in all competitions when they travel to Stade Gabriel Montpied on Sunday for a date with Clermont.
CF63 began this month with a 3-0 defeat at Brest and are currently three points below the relegation line, while Les Dogues are fourth in the Ligue 1 table, following a 2-0 triumph over Metz.
Match preview
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The positive results have been few and far between for Clermont, who followed up a 1-0 victory versus Lorient with a pair of 3-0 defeats against Lens and Brest while playing to a 1-1 draw with Montpellier HSC in the middle of all that.
Pascal Gastien got them into the top flight during the 2020-21 Ligue 2 season, but the 60-year-old is having difficulty keeping them afloat.
A late surge down the stretch of the 2022-23 season kept them in the top flight as they won eight of their final 10 league fixtures, but after 14 matchdays in this campaign, Les Lanciers have only claimed three points on two occasions.
It would be an understatement to say that this side have been poor in the attacking third throughout this competition, netting a mere nine times thus far, fewer than every team in the top five European leagues.
They have scored just a single goal in four all-time meetings with Lille in this competition, though that one strike was enough to earn them a 1-0 triumph at home during the 2021-22 campaign.
Only four of their 10 points this season have come at home, though this team have been much more compact on the back end at Stade Gabriel Montpied, conceding a goal or fewer in five of seven encounters.
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Heroic goalkeeping and clinical finishing powered Lille to another domestic triumph last Sunday, their third successive victory by a 2-0 score in all competitions.
With 26 points in league play this season, Les Nordistes have equalled their second-highest total after 14 matches in this competition, earning just three fewer points than they had at this same stage of their title-winning campaign in 2020-21.
Although Paulo Fonseca's men won their previous away fixture in Ligue 1 against Lyon (1-0), Les Dogues have not recorded consecutive league triumphs as the visitors since August-September 2022 (two).
Their impressive unbeaten run has earned them a place in the knockout stage of the Europa League and put them within striking distance of a Champions League berth next season, a point behind Monaco for third place in Ligue 1 and just two back of Nice, who are second.
From the beginning of the new campaign until now, Lille have never lost a competitive match when netting multiple times, dropping points in only one of those contests (2-2 away at Rennes in Ligue 1).
Lille have only suffered one defeat versus Clermont in all of their top-flight fixtures, outscoring them 6-1 in four encounters.
Team News
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Clermont will be without three players this weekend because of suspensions, including Cheick Oumar Konate, Maxime Gonalons and Maximiliano Caufriez.
Johan Gastien is likely a few weeks away from recovering after previously sustaining a muscle sprain, while Florent Ogier is out until late December with a knee injury.
After collecting a clean sheet in a November victory over Lorient, goalkeeper Mory Diaw has conceded seven goals in his last three domestic affairs.
Les Dogues will be without Tiago Djalo for at least another week due to an ACL sprain, while Ivan Cavaleiro should be back by late December following his thigh injury.
Last Sunday, Lucas Chevalier became the second goalkeeper in Ligue 1 this season to stop two penalty kicks, saving Simon Elisor's in the opening half and doing the same to Lamine Camara in half number two.
Yusuf Yazici and Jonathan David each found the back of the net in stoppage time of the opening half against Metz to propel them to victory.
Clermont possible starting lineup:
Diaw; Pelmard, Caufriez, Borges; Cham, Magnin, Keita, Allevinah; Boutobba, Nicholson, Kyei
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Santos, Yoro, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson; Andre, Gomes; Haraldsson, Yazici, Cabella; David
We say: Clermont 0-3 Lille
Given the contrasting forms of each side, not to mention the significantly superior quality of the visitors, we project Clermont will suffer another blow that will take them further into the relegation zone.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
