Ah, Lille and Toulouse. Now, there's a pairing that stirs up images of passionate fans and really expensive French cheese.
Lille boasts a powerhouse goaltender in Lucas Chevalier. With 19 spectacular saves and a credible 7.28 rating, Toulouse's netminder, Guillaume Restes, is likely suffering night terrors at the prospect of the matchup.
Toulouse, bless their hearts, are putting up some tremendous efforts. Yann Gboho, with a commendable rating of 7.63, two goals and 64.9% accurate passing, is trying his best to prop up his team single-handedly. I give credit to Vincent Sierro, too. Zero goals, zero shots on goal, but a stupefying accurate pass percentage of 85.1%.
As for Lille, they certainly aren't there just for the halftime croissants. Edon Zhegrova and Jonathan David are both commanding attention. Zhegrova has a 7.95 rating with 3 smashing goals and 4 shots on goal, while David possesses a 7.63 rating, with an impressive 4 goals from 7 shots on goal.
When you look back in the dusty annals of history, you'll see that the teams' past confrontations have been somewhat of a mixed bag. But anybody can have an off day, right?
Even though Toulouse's regular season record could give a glass bat a run for its money, recent form seems to favor Lille. Their resounding 3-nil victory over Le Havre indicates they didn't spend their summer sunbathing on the beaches of Normandy.
Adding it all up and after a dramatic pause for effect, the wind seems to be blowing towards the fortress of Lille.
Albert’s Prediction: Lille by 1