Lille will be bidding to sneak into fourth position in the Ligue 1 table, securing a spot in the Champions League third qualifying round in the process, when they conclude their campaign against Reims on Saturday night.
The home side are currently fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Nice, while Reims are down in 14th, with the team, who are in the Coupe de France final, still in relegation danger heading into the final matchday.
Match preview
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Lille have a record of 16 wins, nine draws and eight defeats from their 33 league matches this season to collect 57 points, and they currently sit fifth in the table heading into the final matchday of the campaign.
As it stands, Les Dogues, who finished fourth last season, will qualify for the Europa League league phase, but they are level on points with fourth-placed Nice and can still therefore secure a spot in the Champions League third qualifying round for next season.
Bruno Genesio‘s side are also level on points with sixth-placed Strasbourg, demonstrating the importance of picking up all three points on Saturday against a Reims side that can still finish in a relegation playoff spot.
Lille will enter the match off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Brest, but they will be pleased to be back on home soil this weekend, having picked up 34 points from their 16 league games in front of their own fans.
Les Dogues have also won their last two Ligue 1 matches against Reims, although they suffered a 2-1 defeat when the two teams locked horns for the corresponding fixture during the 2023-24 campaign.
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Reims will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France final on May 24, and a victory in that contest would see them qualify for the league phase of the 2025-26 Europa League, so there is plenty on the line.
The Black and Whites cannot focus on that match at the moment, though, as there is still a chance that they could finish in a relegation playoff spot depending on what occurs on the final matchday.
As it stands, Samba Diawara‘s side are 14th in the table, only two points above 16th-placed Le Havre, so there is a set of results which could see them end the regular season in 16th spot and face a relegation playoff.
Reims will enter this match off the back of successive defeats to Nice and Saint-Etienne, while they have only managed to post four wins from their 16 away league games during the 2024-25 campaign.
Team News
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Jonathan David has officially announced that he will be leaving Lille on a free transfer at the end of June, so this will represent the Canada international’s final appearance for the French club.
The 25-year-old will be bidding to add to the 25 goals that he has managed in 48 appearances at club level this term, and it would be fitting if he could inspire the team to a Champions League spot.
Andre Gomes, Tiago Santos, Ethan Mbappe and Edon Zhegrova remain on the sidelines for Lille due to injury problems, while Thomas Meunier is suspended, but Benjamin Andre and Bafode Diakite will be back in the squad following bans.
As for Reims, Mohamed Daramy and Reda Khadra will both miss out due to injury problems, but the visitors are otherwise in good shape for the contest with Lille this weekend.
Keito Nakamura has scored 12 times in 37 appearances this season, making him comfortably the team’s leading goalscorer, and he is again set to feature in an attacking position.
Meanwhile, there should be another start through the middle for Jordan Siebatcheu.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Umtiti, Mandi, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Bakker, Mukau, Bentaleb, Haraldsson; David, Fernandez-Pardo
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Sekine, Kipre, Okumu, Gbane, Akieme; Tia, Edoa, Kone, Nakamura; Siebatcheu
We say: Lille 2-1 Reims
Reims are capable of making this a tricky match for Lille, but with home advantage, we are expecting Genesio’s team to pick up a valuable three points, which may be enough to finish fourth in the table.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
