Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Lille and Juventus, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Two teams with six points from three Champions League matches meet on Tuesday, as Lille host Juventus at Stade Pierre Mauroy.
The sides’ first competitive meeting comes after the Ligue 1 side enjoyed stunning back-to-back wins over both Madrid clubs, while Juve faltered for the first time at the end of October.
Match preview
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Having caused quite a stir by winning 1-0 against reigning champions Real Madrid in their last Champions League home game, Lille will now look to win successive home fixtures in Europe’s top club competition for the first time to date.
Buoyed by their success against Carlo Ancelotti and co, the French side went on to post a superb 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano, with a couple of late Jonathan David goals securing a memorable comeback.
Les Dogues have impressively recovered from a 2-0 loss at Sporting Lisbon in their opening fixture by beating two Spanish giants, so they are seeking a third consecutive high-profile scalp this week.
Making the most of their chances – Lille have only registered 18 shots in the Champions League this season, the second fewest of any team – has certainly helped them so far, and they are firmly on track for a playoff place.
Not only have they won eight of their last nine European home matches ahead of Tuesday’s game, but some fine Ligue 1 form also suggests that they can put Juventus through a stern test.
Though they followed a 2-0 derby victory over Lens by conceding a late equaliser to draw with Lyon on Friday – when David opened the scoring to make it nine goals from eight matches – Bruno Genesio‘s side are unbeaten in eight games since losing in Lisbon.
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After scoring six times in the course of winning their first two Champions League fixtures under Thiago Motta – against PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig – Juventus confidently announced their return to Europe’s top table.
However, since the Italian giants were beaten by Stuttgart last time out, they have lost a little momentum in Serie A, slipping further behind league leaders Napoli.
Juve had pulled off a remarkable 3-2 win at Leipzig despite going down to 10 men, but they slipped up against Stuttgart in Turin, conceding the only goal in stoppage time, just after Danilo was sent off.
Days later, Motta’s men trailed by two in a chaotic Derby d’Italia before drawing 4-4 with old foes Inter Milan thanks to Kenan Yildiz scoring twice in the last 20 minutes; then, they twice had to fight back from behind to salvage a point against promoted Parma.
On Saturday, the Bianconeri steadied the ship by beating Udinese 2-0, remaining the only unbeaten team in Italy’s top flight this season – albeit having drawn six of 11 games so far.
Now, before a weekend clash with city rivals Torino, the two-time European champions will try to win in France, keeping them in the mix for a coveted top-eight finish.
Lille Champions League form:
Lille form (all competitions):
Juventus Champions League form:
Juventus form (all competitions):
Team News
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Bruno Genesio’s selection policy can be unpredictable, as Lille have already made 10 changes to their lineup in the Champions League this season – the joint-most of any team so far – but star man Jonathan David is sure to start on Tuesday.
The Canada striker has scored six goals in his last eight games at Europe’s elite level, and Les Dogues have won on all five occasions he found the net.
However, fellow forward Remy Cabella has recently been sidelined by a thigh problem, and Tiago Santos (ACL), Ismaily (knee), Hakon Arnar Haraldsson (foot) and Ethan Mbappe (thigh) are also injured.
While the hosts will have Alexsandro back from a ban, Juventus will be missing two Brazilian defenders of their own: Danilo must serve a suspension, while Bremer succumbed to a serious knee injury during the win over Leipzig.
Summer signings Nico Gonzalez and Douglas Luiz are both struggling with thigh issues, further restricting Thiago Motta’s options, but Teun Koopmeiners made his first start for several weeks at the weekend.
Having broken into the starting XI of late, ex-Lille winger Tim Weah – who scored eight goals in 107 games for LOSC before moving to Turin – could continue to support Dusan Vlahovic in the final third.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Meunier, Diakite, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson; Bouaddi, Andre; Zhegrova, Angel Gomes, Sahraoui; David
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, McKennie; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Weah; Vlahovic
We say: Lille 2-2 Juventus
Both teams are flying high domestically and have similar records in Europe, so it could be difficult to separate them on Tuesday evening.
As Juventus have started to leak goals, Lille should score at least once; however, Juve’s front line has recently clicked into gear and can strike hard on the counter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.