Monaco have won nine and lost just one of their 11 top-flight games since the turn of the year to build an 11-point lead over the teams behind them. But the eight-time French champions are still seven points off the pace set by Sunday's visitors to the Stade Louis II.

"It's a good opportunity to move up the table," said Fabregas, who only recently returned from a near-two-month lay-off with a calf injury. 

"Lille are top of the table with an excellent coach. They're always well organised, they're tactically perfect. It'll be an interesting match for us to see where we are right now. I am very ambitious, I will always give my all, but after the last two seasons, fourth place is something good. We'll see what happens.

"There are 10 games left, that's a lot. We deserve to be in fourth, but Sunday is a little final, that's certain."

WATCH: What happened when Lille hosted Monaco this season

Based on their form since the turn of the year, Monaco would actually be top of the table, two points clear of this weekend's opponents. 

They boast the best attack of the year with Wissam ben Yedder and Kevin Volland, who has been involved in 12 goals in his last 13 league games, helping fire the team to at least two goals in all but one of the last 12 league matches.

That potency in front of goal has fuelled genuine hopes of not only a top-three finish and a return to UEFA Champions League football next season, but also of being French champions again.

Not that coach Niko Kovac is getting caught up in the enthusiasm.

"I've already said it, we're not looking at first place," said the Monaco boss, whose side lost their first match since mid-December with a 1-0 loss at Strasbourg last weekend.

"Above all, we want to win because we're at home and we want to build a cushion behind us. For us, it's an important game, not to go for first place, but to strengthen our hold on fourth. We know we're going to come up against one of the best teams in the league. It'll be a good match."

Lille's league-leading 62 points after 28 games this season represents a club record, as are the meagre 17 goals they have conceded.

Jonathan David, who scored in the 2-1 win over Monaco earlier in the season, is the league's top scorer in 2021 with seven, and the Canada international could have help in the shape of Burak Yilmaz. 

The Turkey international has been sidelined since mid-January with a calf injury, but has been training fully in recent days as Christophe Galtier's men, who saw title rivals Lyon drop points on Friday, look to put distance between themselves and the teams behind them as they go for a fifth French crown and their first in a decade.

"We'll play to win and we'll see how the match goes. If we're struggling, perhaps we'll settle for a point at the end, but I don't want my players to be in any other frame of mind other than playing to win," said Galtier.

"It wouldn't be too bad to keep Monaco at seven points, but we have the possibility to go ten points clear of them."

Probable teams

Monaco: Lecomte – Aguilar, Disasi, Maripan, Badiashile, Caio Henrique – Fofana, Tchouaméni, Golovin – Volland, Ben Yedder (cap.)

Lille: Maignan – Celik, Fonte (cap.), Botman, Mandava – Ikoné, Sanches, André, Bamba – Yazici, David

>> LEGENDS: Monaco-Lille 3 classic games