Lille - Nice. Prediction and Match Preview

April 18, 2026 22:05. Villeneuve-d'Ascq. Pierre-Mauroy Stadium
French Championship. Round 30.

Where to watch: MEGOGO

Injured: Toure, Ighaman, Sahraoui - Ndayishimiye, Abdelmonem, Ndombele, Bombito, Dante, Vangutte

Lille - Nice: Betting Odds

Saturday's schedule of matches for the 30th round of the French Championship concludes with a match at the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium, where Lille will host Nice. Last season, at this stage, both teams were fighting for places in the Champions League. This time, only the hosts, who are in third place, are participating in this fight. The visitors are in the bottom half of the table and have yet to secure survival in Ligue 1. Tensions are rising there.

Lille

In recent seasons, Lille have struggled in the final rounds, often slipping from stronger positions - entering the Conference League instead of higher European places, or into the Champions League qualifiers instead of direct participation. Last season, the "Great Danes" lost to Nice, winning fourth place, and were forced to settle for the Europa League, where they were eliminated in the 1/8 finals by Aston Villa. So this time, Lille is looking to avoid past mistakes and secure a coveted direct entry to the Champions League. Currently, the "Great Danes" are in third place, which guarantees their place, but their position is precarious, with four rivals breathing down their necks within four points. A poor result this round could see them drop a few places.

However, Lille appear to have found their best form again just as the season is winding down. As they did at the start of the campaign, the Great Danes are showing real firepower in attack. Bruno Genesio's side have scored 13 goals in their first four league games this season, and 11 in their last four. Lille have also stepped up their defence in recent times, keeping a clean sheet and conceding no more than one goal in every home game since February. Saturday's win would be their fifth in a row - their longest winning streak in the top flight since the 2020/21 championship campaign.

Lille are unbeaten in their last four home games, but have dropped points in two of their previous three in all competitions. Genesio's men could break that trend against Nice, who have a perfect home record against Ligue 1 sides currently in the bottom four. Their last such win came in March, when they beat Nantes 1-0.

Nice

Nice have suffered their worst slump this season compared to last. Under Francesco Farioli, the Eagles had previously climbed to fourth place and secured a Champions League qualification spot. But without the proper support from the board, Nice have struggled in Europe, winning just one of their eight Europa League group stage matches and falling out of contention for a play-off spot. Last time, it wasn't a disaster, as a shaky group stage was offset by strong domestic form. The Côte d'Azur outfit now sit fourth from bottom under new coach Claude Puel, battling to avoid relegation. The southern French outfit have won just one of their last 10 Ligue 1 matches, leaving them just four points above Auxerre in the relegation zone. Puel's side are on course to finish the season with fewer than 50 points for the first time since 2019/20, when they managed 43. Nice have won two of their last three away matches in all competitions, although only one in regular time - a 2-0 win over Angers. These recent successes have largely been linked to the Coupe de France, where the Eagles reached the semi-finals and will next week play Strasbourg for a chance to reach the final, keeping their European hopes alive despite their league woes.

Nice have conceded more than one goal in away league matches nine times in the 2025/26 season, scoring three or more in five of them. This highlights the Eagles' dismal defensive record this season - only Metz, who are the worst performers, have conceded more goals than Puel's side. The one game where Nice have kept a clean sheet was their first meeting with Lille, a 2-0 home win. Overall, Lille have been a valuable opponent for the Eagles, who have picked up points in three of their last four trips to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. However, their last win there dates back to 2022.

Lille - Nice: Predicted Lineups

Toure, Ighaman and Sahraoui are in the Lille cabinet. Nice has been dealing with a high number of injuries all season, and the situation has not changed now: Ndayishimiye, Abdelmonem, Ndombele, Bombito, Dante and Wangutte are out of the game.

Lille - Nice: Author's Prediction

Lille are in much better form than their opponents and need to pick up three crucial points in the race for a place in the top three. Expect a confident win - at least by a few goals.