Champions LeagueThe inside track on Lille: 'An exciting team with a good blend'
Liverpool welcome in-form Lille to Anfield on Tuesday evening for matchday seven of the Champions League.
The Reds will take on Ligue 1 opposition on Merseyside as they look to secure their place in the last 16 of the competition.
Ahead of the encounter in L4, Liverpoolfc.com spoke to Get French Football News editor-in-chief Luke Entwistle about what to expect from the visitors...
Thanks for speaking to us, Luke. Firstly, could you give us an overview of the season so far for Lille? How have they fared in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League?
Extremely well, I think, is the general overview. The last defeat in Ligue 1 came in mid-September, which was a surprise 1-0 loss to Saint-Etienne that came straight after the international break. You could see in that game that a few players struggled – Jonathan David, for example, had made the trip over to Canada and didn't quite return at his best level.
Their last defeat in all competitions came just a few days after that in a Champions League match against Sporting CP, so it's an incredible unbeaten run that stretches back for many months across Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Coupe de France, where they notably beat Marseille on penalties. There's a decent chance of them going very far in that competition and potentially even winning it. Paris Saint-Germain are always the favourites, but bar them you'd have to say Lille are the best team left in the competition.
Domestically they have been very impressive, though in the Champions League there has been big scalps of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, who have both been really dominant in Spain. There was the draw with Juventus as well, which was really carried by the collective. Obviously Jonathan David got the plaudits for getting the big goals – the penalty against Real Madrid, for example – but really it's been a team effort which has seen them exceed expectations this season. Nobody would've said they would have been above PSG in the Champions League standings but there they proudly are.
The one caveat, I suppose, is the amount of draws they have had in the current unbeaten run. There have probably been too many for their liking, particularly recent ones against Nantes and a 10-man Auxerre, where they should really have come away with three points. That's why they're not in contention for the Ligue 1 title, albeit they're very much in contention for the Champions League places once again.
And who are Lille's key players? Who should Liverpool fans be keeping an eye out for in particular?
I think one to draw attention to would be goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. There has been huge clamour in the French media and in general for him to be included in the national team set-up. As a young goalkeeper, they're looking beyond the reign of Mike Maignan with him and Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, who Liverpool will know from last year.
Chevalier has been notably impressive in the Champions League, and it was those performances against the likes of Real Madrid that saw him included at the end of 2024 by France. He is a great shot-stopper, first and foremost, that's what really catches the eye, and he is good with the ball at his feet. He has all the characteristics of being a top goalkeeper. Lille have a habit of producing them for one reason or another. Maignan, the current France No.1, is one of the more recent examples.
On top of that there is Jonathan David, who everyone is talking about because of his contract situation. He's been scoring a lot of goals. I think what is most impressive about his season, despite being a player who used to regularly come in and out of form, he has built a lot of confidence by becoming a bit of a flat-track bully against mid-to-lower Ligue 1 teams.
He has really taken on his game this season and he's much more confident and efficient against all teams now. The goals against the top sides in Europe is where you really make your mark, and he has done that this season.
Angel Gomes is maybe now less of an unknown quantity than he was. He's a very different player to the one that left Manchester United. He's dropped into a slightly deeper role and rounded out his game and he made big strides under former manager Paulo Fonseca. This year has been a bit more of a mixed season due to some injury problems and is another in a contract situation at Lille.
A big miss will be Tiago Santos, who suffered an ACL injury earlier in the season after establishing himself as one of the most exciting modern full-backs coming through in Europe. Everyone thought he would play a starring role this season but that has been cut short. Edon Zhegrova is another who looks like he'll miss the game and is a bit of a maverick. He's really exciting to watch, technically very good and has added goals and assists to his game as well.
There are plenty of threats in this Lille side and it is a good mix of youth and experience. It's an exciting team with a good blend and they're a team who continue to produce some quality players. Leny Yoro is another who obviously left for the Premier League last summer.
What is the view in Lille ahead of the game? How will they approach the fixture?
I think they quite like the 'underdog' tag. They had that against Real Madrid, Juventus and Atletico Madrid and thrived on it. The game where maybe expectations were a little bit higher was against Sporting, which is their last defeat in any competition since mid-September. Anticipation will be high and there will be a quiet confidence because of how long the unbeaten run stretches back. There is an understanding, however, that Liverpool on current form are probably the best team in Europe.
It's no small challenge and they won't get ahead of themselves, but they will take confidence in how they have performed in some of the bigger matches they have played in Europe this season. Whether that's because tactically those games have suited them more and they've been able to exploit space better than against Ligue 1 opposition who set up in a low block is hard to know for certain. They are also quite a young side and maybe you're seeing some of the players stepping up because they want to make their name.
Predicted line-up
Luke's Lille XI: Chevalier; Meunier, Alexsandro, Diakite, Gudmundsson; Andre, Bouaddi; Haraldsson, Cabella, Bakker; David.
This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.