Lille – Auxerre : Preview & Prediction
It is fair to say that things did not go according to plan last season for Lille, who followed up their historic Ligue 1 title win in the 2020/21 season with a disappointing tenth place finish. Coach Paulo Fonseca was assigned this summer to lead the team back to competing at the top of the standings, and was quick to state his intention to build an “ambitious team” that “plays attractive soccer.”
However, his goal has not been helped by the departure of several important players, with Sven Botman leaving for Newcastle, in addition to Renato Sanches and Amadou Onana, who also crossed the exit door from Lille. Fonseca will be hoping to put those distractions aside and start his tenure on a high and, as such, could take some consolation from Lille’s record of five consecutive home wins against newly promoted teams.
Auxerre’s joy at returning to Ligue 1 after a ten-year absence was marred by a violent pitch invasion by St. Etienne fans after the relegation playoffs in May. They have certainly had time to savor their achievement since then, but the hard work of staying in the top flight begins now and here they will try to record just their second Ligue 1 opening day win in 11 attempts (E3, P6).
Currently, the visitors have not known what it’s like to lose away from home in the league since November (G7, E4 – excluding playoffs), so their confidence could be high. However, coach Jean-Marc Furlan has only been able to bolster his squad with a handful of free transfers, which could see them struggle this campaign in the face of increased quality.
Players to watch: Lille’s new acquisition Mohamed Bayo scored 14 Ligue 1 goals for Clermont last season, with 11 of those goals being registered after the break. In the previous season, Auxerre’s Charbonnier Gaëtan also scored 11 of his 17 Ligue 2 goals during the second half.
Fast Fact: Since the turn of the century, Lille have lost just four of their 22 opening games in a Ligue 1 season.
Lille – Auxerre : Betting Tips
Lille – Win Odds: 1.75
