LOSC Lille will look to hold onto their automatic UEFA Champions League spot for next season when they welcome OGC Nice to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday night.
Paulo Fonseca and his team simply need to win on the last Ligue 1 matchday while also keeping their goal differential advantage intact. A victory over Nice would allow Lille to have their place in the Champions League group stage next season and avoid the qualification round.
On the other side of this match, Nice are penciled into the UEFA Europa League next season, so a draw, loss, or win doesn’t change the fact that they’ll finish in fifth place this campaign. Still, Francesco Farioli and his team can play the role of spoiler and make life difficult for the home side.
Entering this crucial home match, Lille have won three out of their last five league matches (two losses), so they have the momentum to pull out a result. If Les Dogues trail at any point in this match, the coaching staff will need to watch the scoreboard.
This group ❤️
— LOSC (@LOSC_EN) May 17, 2024
One last match to win on Sunday to finish in style 👊 pic.twitter.com/CmNNiDHJfb
If Lille manages to draw, lose, or even win but concedes enough goals to lose their advantage in the goal differential tiebreaker, Stade Brestois could leapfrog them, claiming third place and securing the crucial automatic qualifying spot for the Champions League.
Brest will be on the road, facing Toulouse FC at the Stadium de Toulouse. Éric Roy and his team enter their final match against Toulouse in a challenging state.
Les Pirates have one win in their last five league matches (two draws and two losses) as they enter a must-win situation on their end and hope that Lille draws or loses to give them a less complicated path to the Champions League.
Sunday promises to be a thrilling matchday to see which team and its supporters can begin making plans to be part of Europe’s top club competition.
>>FOCUS: Fortress Mauroy: Can LOSC’s Home Form Secure Top Four?
