gettyimages-1230171123.jpg

Lille OSC welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Stade Pierre Mauroy on Sunday with Les Dogues leading Les Parisiens by a single point in the Ligue 1 table coming into this weekend.

Christophe Galtier's men will still be digesting the quick-fire sale of the club by Gerard Lopez while Thomas Tuchel and his squad know that they need to win in order to undo some of their recent poor form in Le Championnat.

Both teams are coming into this one off the back of four wins and a loss from their last five as LOSC were beaten in Europe by Celtic and PSG went down at home to Olympique Lyonnais domestically.

With Olympique de Marseille still breathing down the necks of both with two games in hand that could see Andre Villas-Boas' men pinch top spot, both will be motivated to take all three points.

Here is how you can watch the match and what to know:

Viewing information

  • Date: Sunday, Dec. 20 | Time: 15:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Stade Pierre Mauroy -- Lille, France
  • TV: beIN Sports USA
  • Stream: FuboTV (try for free)
  • Odds: Lille +280; Draw +260; PSG -110 (via William Hill Sportsbook)

Storylines

Lille: The Ligue 1 leaders come into this one in the strange position of having just been sold by Lopez to Merlyn Partners in a move that will see Olivier Letang return to French football after being ousted as Rennes president earlier this year.

Form-wise, LOSC are looking good with four wins in an unbeaten five-match run in the league after their unexpected away loss at Stade Brestois 29 back in November. Coach Christophe Galtier led his players to second place in Europa League Group H behind AC Milan and the Northerners will face Ajax when the latter stages resume next year.

What state Lille will be in by then is unknown as players are expected to be sold from January onwards with the likes of Renato Sanches, Yusuf Yazici, Zeki Celik and Jonathan Bamba all attracting admiring glances from clubs across Europe. A win or a draw would be good for Les Dogues as it would keep them top ahead of PSG and Lyon with just one more round of matches to come before Christmas.

Craving even more coverage of the world's game? Listen below and subscribe to ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.   


PSG: The capital club come into this one surrounded by talking points with Thomas Tuchel's future, Neymar's injury and the team's stop-start domestic form all prominent. Despite last term's Champions League final run, the German has been under pressure all season and a fifth Ligue 1 defeat of the campaign is unthinkable at Parc des Princes.

Mauricio Pochettino and Massimiliano Allegri have both been strongly linked with Tuchel's job for months now and with the winter break coming and Champions League latter stage qualification money banked, PSG could make changes.

Neymar's ankle injury is also a worry as the Brazil international was stretchered off towards the end of last weekend's 1-0 home loss to Lyon. Although Tuchel hinted earlier that the €222 million man could be operational for the trip to Lille, PSG clarified his status on Saturday, saying that the star would be out until January.

On the pitch, four wins from their last five is not bad at all but limit that to exclusively domestic form and it paints a different picture with just two wins from five and two defeats in that time.

Prediction

If PSG are motivated, as they often seem to be when their backs are against the wall this season, this will be a fascinating encounter. Lille have the talent to hurt the men from the capital but there are question marks of the impact of their sale on the squad's morale.

Les Parisiens boast the strongest squad in the country and are under pressure to win so I see Paris coming away from this with a narrow victory that puts them back in the title race with Kylian Mbappe scoring on his 22nd birthday. Pick: Lille 1-2 PSG