Lille vs Chelsea
UEFA Champions League
Date: Wednesday, 16 March 2022
Kick-off at 20:00 UK/ 21:00 CET
Venue: Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
When Chelsea takes on Lille in the Round of 16 second leg on Wednesday, they will be hoping to advance to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 will come to a close this week, with the final four second-leg matches planned for Tuesday and Wednesday.
All four matches are evenly matched, with LOSC Lille and Chelsea meeting at Stade Pierre Mauroy, with the Blues leading by two goals.
Lille won Group G, which included Red Bull Salzburg, Sevilla, and VfL Wolfsburg, to advance to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
Chelsea, meanwhile, advanced to the next round after placing second in Group H behind Juventus.
Lille’s form and fortunes have taken a plunge this season, with the reigning Ligue 1 champions plummeting after Christophe Galtier left last summer.
Les Dogues, on the other hand, have improved in recent months, with the setback to Chelsea being their only defeat in their previous six games.
Chelsea last lost a game in regulation time two months ago, when Manchester City beat them 1-0 at the Etihad.
While the Blues have won their past four games in a row, their performances have been underwhelming, particularly in the final third, with Thomas Tuchel’s troops struggling to drive forward.
Off the field, however, the west Londoners are sure to be affected in a variety of ways.
Despite Chelsea’s 2-0 win against Lille in the reverse fixture, the tie remains precariously poised heading into the second leg.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the UEFA Champions League match between the two sides ahead of their most recent clash.
Lille vs Chelsea Head to head :
- Thomas Tuchel’s men have a 100% winning record.
- They had scored two or more goals in every single meeting till now.
- Lille were winless in nine of their total twelve fixtures against other English opponents.
- Meanwhile, the Blues are on a two-fixture winning streak against other French foes, and they had scored a total of five goals in the process.
Lille vs Chelsea Prediction :
Chelsea’s off-field issues have invariably impacted performances on the pitch.
But Thomas Tuchel has galvanised his unit superbly, with the Blues showing the fighting spirit that champions are made of.
The game against Lille should help them showcase the same quality again.
The hosts will make a contest out of what seemed like a foregone conclusion last month.
But Kai Havertz should rise to the occasion again, delivering the goods for Chelsea at the end of a closely-fought clash.
The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for Tuchel’s charges, enabling them to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
Lille vs Chelsea Team News :
Lille should be able to welcome back Benjamin Andre from illness in time for the second leg, which would be appropriate given Renato Sanches’ injury in the first half of the Saint-Etienne stalemate.
Due to his recent thigh ailment, the Portuguese is anticipated to miss the remainder of the month, but Gourvennec is otherwise working with a completely healthy team, with Xeka keeping his spot in the middle alongside Andre.
In recent weeks, Gourvennec has been hesitant to start Burak Yilmaz with Jonathan David, but Les Dogues’ need for goals may encourage the hosting manager to do so now.
Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell is sidelined for the foreseeable future, but Tuchel expects Cesar Azpilicueta to return from illness in time for Wednesday’s match.
Due to their injury concerns, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi are unlikely to make the squad, although Thiago Silva is anticipated to return to the backline following a rest in the Newcastle triumph.
Tuchel is expected to revert to the majority of the XI that started the first-leg win last month, which would mean Marcos Alonso and Christian Pulisic returning ahead of Malang Sarr and Timo Werner.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Jardim; Celik, Fonte, Botman, Djalo; Bamba, Andre, Xeka, Gudmundsson; David, Yilmaz
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Silva, Christensen, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Havertz, Pulisic
