Lille vs Troyes - prediction, team news, lineups

LOSC Lille welcome Troyes to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday afternoon for round four of the 2026-27 Ligue 1 campaign.

In their previous outing, Les Dogues claimed a 1-0 victory away to Toulouse, while ESTAC fell to a heavy 6-2 defeat against RC Strasbourg at the Stade Oceane.

Although last season’s third place finish was their best result since winning the Ligue 1 title five years ago, picking up 61 points from their 34 matches, Lille will be looking to improve even further in 2026-27 having enjoyed a positive start to the campaign.

Following their 2-0 victory away to Angers on the opening weekend, Davide Ancelotti’s men conceded twice late on to agonisingly draw against Paris Saint-Germain on home soil, but having bounced back well by winning at Toulouse last Thursday, Les Dogues are one of only five Ligue 1 teams that are yet to lose.

Earning seven points so far, a tally only bettered by current division leaders AS Monaco, Lille currently sit fourth in the league table and with a favourable run of upcoming fixtures, facing two of the bottom four within the next month, they will certainly be wanting to build on their promising start.

However, if Les Dogues are to do so, they will definitely have to improve upon their unconvincing home record, having failed to win any of their previous four league matches at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy and falling to defeat there against Real Betis in their opening UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday evening.

Unbeaten in their latest three encounters with Troyes, including a 5-1 victory when they last hosted ESTAC, Ancelotti’s side are undoubtedly the favourites to claim victory on Sunday though and will be eager to do so with some more forgiving fixtures on the horizon.

Having won promotion as champions of Ligue 2 last season, finishing five points better off than runners up Le Mans, Troyes will be content with their start to life in the top flight having spent the previous three years in the second tier.

After picking up a respectable point at home to Paris FC in their first fixture, ESTAC posted an impressive maiden victory of the campaign as they won 2-1 away to FC Lorient, though they were quickly brought back down to earth as they suffered a humbling 6-2 defeat against Strasbourg at the Stade de l’Aube on Sunday afternoon.

As a result of their current four point total, Stephane Dumont’s men sit just within the top half of the league table and with each of their eight matches following this weekend’s outing against sides below them, Troyes will be optimistic that they can climb the division instead of slipping further down.

With seven goals conceded over their three fixtures so far, an amount that can only be toppled by Auxerre’s 11, ESTAC’s main priority will likely be to rediscover their defensive solidity having surrendered just one strike when winning those four points in the first two games.

Troyes will also be keen to rectify their dismal record against Lille on Sunday, having not won any of their previous three meetings with Les Dogues and failing to beat them away from home in over a decade, with Jimmy Cabot’s second-half brace giving ESTAC all three points in their latest victory at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in January 2016.

Having received a straight red card after elbowing an opponent against Real Betis in the week, Ethan Mbappe will miss at least three European matches for Lille, though he is able to feature in Ligue 1.

Moroccan forward Hamza Igamane is Les Dogues only current injury woe, with the 23-year-old still currently sidelined with an ACL tear that he suffered in the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

Following a month out due to a muscle injury, French defender Tanguy Nianzou returned to the bench for Tuesday’s Champions League clash and is therefore available for selection again.

With three goal contributions in as many league games to start the season, veteran striker Olivier Giroud is still a crucial part of the Lille side at 39-years-old and will likely be the host’s biggest threat once again on Sunday.

On the other hand, Troyes are dampened by several injuries within the side, including defensive duo Ismael Boura and Paolo Gozzi who are both doubts for the weekend with hip and adductor issues respectively.

French defender Yvann Titi is a certain miss having picked up a severe muscle injury in the league opener, while it remains to be seen whether 27-year-old midfielder Merwan Ifnaoui is fit after leaving the field early against Strasbourg with an undisclosed problem.

Getting his ESTAC account up and running with a goal on his debut against Les Bleu et Blancs last Sunday, 28-year-old striker Jeremy Le Douaron will be hoping to continue his promising start to life in Troyes with another strike when he likely leads the line for the visitors this weekend.

Ozer; Santos, Ngoy, Alexsandro, Perraud; Andre, Mukau; Mbappe, Haraldsson, Bakwa; Giroud

Beach; Maronnier, Monfray, Diaz Jr, Ouzenadji; Mille, Diop; Nkada, Karim, Picard; Le Douaron

Although they suffered a thumping loss last weekend, Troyes will be quietly confident about their chances this time around with their hosts struggling as of late at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Despite this, we are backing Lille to come away with victory on Sunday afternoon, ending their barren run on home soil and putting the pressure on league leaders Monaco, who face a difficult trip away to Strasbourg the day prior.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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