Lille preview

• Patrick Collot’s unbeaten start as Lille interim coach came to an end on Sunday as Marseille beat them 2-0. They weren’t too bad in that match but seemed to have no Plan B once they fell behind.
• Of course, injuries haven't helped them recently and once again a number of players are going to be missing, especially from attacking areas.
• A couple of defenders are also doubtful with both Marko Basa and Franck Beria gametime decisions.

Rennes preview

• The Breton outfit have lost 3 of their last 4 games and seem to be ending the year in negative fashion. Too many misses chances have cost them recently, they simply aren’t clinical enough in front of goal.
• Squad condition isn’t too bad but they do have a sprinkling of injuries across the board.
• Rennes’ away record is pretty poor with 6 out of 8 defeats. They’ve only scored four times on the road, a couple of which were at Nantes who were in terrible form at the time.

Conclusion & betting analysis

• Lille are -0.25 favourites which is about right. They are the better team, but not by that much.
• If their squad was in better condition aid if they hadn’t played on Sunday then I might have backed them. In general, Les Dogues have looked much better under interim coach Patrick Collot. However, I sense they are looking forward to the winter break.
• Rennes could also do with a break and aren’t in great form. I think we’ll see a fairly low key match with relatively few goals.
• I just don’t see a viable bet here. Lille -0.25 maybe wouldn’t be a bad option but the risk of a draw is quite high. The goal line is set at 2.0 and this seems about right.

Prediction: 1-0

Recommended bet: None