AC Ajaccio – LOSC Lille Friday at 21:00 CET (1900 GMT)

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Lille had enjoyed a good start to the season under new coach Paulo Fonseca, with a 4-1 home win over AJ Auxerre followed by a 1-1 draw away at FC Nantes in Round 2. But then they played host to the reigning champions last weekend and endured a miserable night at the Decathlon Arena Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

LOSC conceded the opener to Kylian Mbappé in the ninth second, the quickest goal scored in France’s top flight in 30 years. They were 4-0 down at half-time and went on to lose 7-1, conceding seven goals at home for the first time in their long and proud history. Now the northerners have to try to pick themselves up from that setback and prove that it was a one-off – and they will not be the last side to suffer at the hands of the all-powerful Parisians this season.

Fonseca must therefore decide whether to shake up his starting line-up, or keep faith with those who struggled so badly against the reigning champions in the hope that they can get back on track at the Stade François-Coty. The Portuguese coach had given first starts to summer signings Bafodé Diakité and Ismaily in that game, and also gave Yusuf Yazici his first start since returning from a loan spell at CSKA Moscow. Meanwhile, one player who found the going especially tough was goalkeeper Léo Jardim – he has let in nine goals this season from just 12 shots on target. The Brazilian had a similarly traumatic start to last season, conceding seven goals in the first two games of the season before being dropped and not returning to the side for six months.

“Leo is like the other players. I continue to trust in Leo. No-one loses alone and I am the first one responsible all the time. The players deserve to be defended but if needed I will also be the first to criticise,” Fonseca told reporters on Thursday.

“I have made the players understand that they need to pick themselves up quickly. It has been a good week, even if the first few days were not easy. We will come into the game in the best way possible. We have analysed our mistakes and we have identified where we need to improve.”

Bayo sidelined

Whatever Fonseca decides with regards to his team selection, he will not be able to call on Mohamed Bayo. The Guinea international striker, signed last month from Clermont Foot 63 for a reported €14 million, has been banished to the reserves until further notice after being dropped from the squad to play PSG when it was discovered that he had been out enjoying Lille’s nightlife on the eve of that game.

“Now he is in the B team. He will return when he is ready to return,” Fonseca said of Bayo, who scored 14 goals for Clermont in Ligue 1 last season. “He made a mistake and he will return to the group. We will decide when.”

That means, that away from their defensive woes, they have obvious issues up front too. Timothy Weah is out injured and Rémy Cabella has been battling to shake off the thigh injury that saw him miss out against PSG.

Lille have not lost a top-flight game away to Ajaccio since 1967, although there have only been eight encounters in the intervening period. In any case, Les Dogues must not take the Corsicans lightly, even if they are still searching for their first win since returning to the top flight.

“It is a totally different game and I believe if we think to play is enough to win this game, in my opinion it is not enough. We have to be aggressive, we have to fight. It is a different game without much space. We have to create this space and be very aggressive when we don’t have the ball,” Fonseca said.

Ajaccio chase first win

Olivier Pantaloni’s Ajaccio side held RC Lens at home a fortnight ago, while either side of that they have suffered narrow 2-1 defeats in tough away fixtures at Olympique Lyonnais and Stade Rennais FC. The outcome of last weekend’s game in Brittany could perhaps have been different had Thomas Mangani not failed to convert a first-half penalty.

Their successful promotion campaign last season was based principally around an outstanding defence and there was no doubt that they needed to strengthen their attack ahead of this campaign. This week they have moved to bolster their front line with the signing of 35-year-old Tunisian striker Yoann Touzghar on a two-year deal. He scored four goals in Ligue 1 last season for ESTAC Troyes.

“Everything is far from perfect but we are getting the measure of Ligue 1 little by little,” Pantaloni said this week. “I think playing some of the top sides right away will help us play with more freedom later on. Most of our players are playing in Ligue 1 for the first time. It takes a bit of time but it can’t take too long.”

Probable line-ups

Ajaccio: To follow

Lille: To follow