The international truce has once again damaged LOSC. Jocelyn Gourvennec will be deprived at the kick-off in the Principality of Jonathan David and Thimothy Weah who only returned the day before from North America where they were playing qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup. The Lille coach will also have to do without the Portuguese Renato Sanches, the Swedish Gabriel Gudmundsson and Jonathan Bamba who were not part of the group published this Thursday evening. 3 last minute packages that the club did not explain.
The declared: “We must raise the level”
To exist in the Principality, Lille will absolutely have to regain defensive and offensive efficiency. LOSC have only scored 16 times in 13 appearances and have already conceded 19 goals. “It is true that we are left behind for the moment, but Monaco and Lyon have also fallen behind. It should not be dragged along the way. We have to do better in front and behind. We must strengthen the collective spirit, defend well and attack well together. On the last 9 matches of the year we must raise the level ”
The stat: 4 unsuccessful matches in L1, it’s been a long time
The LOSC must absolutely end a series of four games in L1 without the slightest success, defeat in Clermont and Paris, sharing points at home with Brest and Angers. The Lille club had not lived such a period without a win for almost 3 years: between November 2 and December 1 had chained 4 meetings without winning : PSG (1-2), Strasbourg (0-0), Nice (0-0) and Lyon (2-2). A few months earlier, at the end of the 2017-2018 season, in the race to maintain, the LOSC had even experienced a nightmarish series of 11 unsuccessful matches (7D and 4N).
Player to watch: Yazici on the raise?
The Turkish esthete could take advantage of the late selection returns of David and Weah to start the meeting associated with his compatriot Yilmaz. Yazici, who was not called up in November, has not started any game with LOSC since September 10 and the trip to Lorient concluded with a 2-1 defeat. Since then, in L1, he has only appeared 7 times at the end of the match, accumulating only 101 minutes of playing time. This season, he has only scored one goal (against Montpellier on the 4th day ) and offered only one decisive pass (in Metz on the 1st day).
Le eleven France Bleu Nord: Without Sanches and Bamba
Grbic – Celik, Fonte, Djalo, Reinildo – Ikoné, André, Xeka, Yazici or Weah – Yazici or David, Yilmaz.