LOSC Lille vs Lorient Prediction: Lille can't afford not to take this chance!

LOSC Lille will play their first league game of the new year against Lorient at home. They hope to apply the advantage and get all 3 points while the battle of the top 4 heats up in the final half of the season. They have managed to land in 5th place at the end of the first half, but they will be aiming for more, and going over Stade Brest in 4th place would be ideal for Lille.

As for the visitors Lorient, they are languishing at the bottom end of the table and they are only 1 point ahead of Clermont at the bottom. There are still many games to play and their fortunes are still in their hands. But it's going to take a lot of hard work for them to climb up the table.

LOSC will be eager for a response after failing to win their last 3 league games, and Lorient really can't get any worse than they've already been.

LOSC Lille is hoping for a better start to the campaign's second half. They ended the first half without a win in 3 matches in a row. 2 of the 3 matches ended in a draw against both Clermont Foot (0:0) and Paris Saint Germain (1:1), then they lost their last game against Strasbourg (2:1).

LOSC Lille were ruined by mistakes at the back in the defeat against Strasbourg. They fell behind through an own goal scored by Abakar Sylla in the 20th minute. After that, they got back level through an own goal by Leny Yoro in the 41st minute. In the second half, they lost the game as they conceded for the second time in the 76th minute.

The outcome of this game will go a long way in defining their season. They need to get back to winning ways or else they stand the risk of dropping off the 5th spot, with Olympique Marseille, RC Lens, and Stade Reims only a foot behind them. Lille have 28 points from 17 matches, after recording 7 wins, 7 draws, and 3 defeats so far this season.

LOSC Lille and Lorient rarely produced draws as shown in their last 14 meetings. Lorient trashed LOSC Lille 4:1 in their very last meeting back in August 2023.

Lorient are poor through and through and they might just be on their way down to the Ligue 2 by the end of the season. Since their 2:1 win over Stade Rennes back in October last year, they had gone without a win in 8 matches. And of the 8 matches, they drew 2 and lost 6. Surely, they are a team heading downhill and there might be little hope for this side.

Lorient lost their last game in the league against Stade Brest away from home. The game was all set and done in the first half, with Lorient offering no resistance at all. Kamory Doumbia had a filled day as he netted all 4 goals in the first half of the match. The defeat leaves Lorient in the 17th spot with just 12 points from 17 matches, only Clermont Foot have taken fewer points (11). Their overall stats are 2 wins, 6 draws, and 9 defeats so far this season.

Lorient had a good game against LOSC Lille last season after they beat Lille 4:1 on their home soil. But they lost the previous encounter 3:1. Also, they have lost their last 3 visits to the Stade Pierre Mauroy, and they conceded 10 goals in those games. It looks like it's going to be a bumpy ride for Lorient in this fixture.

LOSC Lille and Lorient have played 20 games between them. Lille won 11 of those games, while Lorient won 7 and they played a draw in 2 matches.

This game looks like a typical win for LOSC Lille from all indications. Lorient are poor and giving off points that LOSC Lille needs to keep their place at the top end of the table. There's also been no draw in their last 14 meetings, which is proof that LOSC Lille will get a win.

• LOSC Lille to Win First Half at 1.86 Odds
• Home Win and Under 9.5 Corners at 2.75 Odds
• Home Win (-1) Handicap at 1.60 Odds