Reigning champions Real Madrid come into the game with momentum, having opened their campaign with a win over Stuttgart, while Lille returned to Europe’s top competition with a loss in Portugal. Real Madrid have had a strong start to the season, following their European win with victories over Espanyol and Alaves.
However, they stumbled over the weekend, dropping two points in a heated clash with rivals Atletico Madrid. Despite leading 1-0, Real conceded a late equalizer from Angel Correa five minutes into stoppage time after crowd trouble briefly paused the match.
Even with the draw, Barcelona’s surprise loss to Osasuna has allowed Real Madrid to close the gap at the top of the league to three points, though it could have been just one if they had held on.
Now, their focus shifts to the Champions League, where the 15-time winners will look to extend their unbeaten run in the competition to 15 matches. However, Real Madrid have struggled in recent visits to France, losing twice to Paris Saint-Germain.
While this is the first meeting between Lille and Real, Carlo Ancelotti’s record against Lille is modest, with only two wins from five matches. Still, Real Madrid's current 14-game unbeaten streak in the Champions League, including 10 wins, puts them in a strong position. If they avoid defeat in this match, they’ll match the 15-game unbeaten run set under Zinedine Zidane between April 2016 and May 2017.
Lille, on the other hand, hope to end Real Madrid’s streak and come into the game with renewed confidence. After losing 2-0 to Sporting Lisbon on matchday one and enduring a five-game winless run, they finally found their form over the weekend with a 3-0 win against Le Havre, thanks to a hat-trick from Jonathan David.
While Lille face a huge challenge against the European champions, they’ll take comfort in their strong home record in Europe, winning seven of their last eight matches. Their last victory against a Spanish side came in 2021 when they defeated Sevilla 2-1 in the Champions League, breaking an eight-game winless run against Spanish opposition.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Kylian Mbappé was initially expected to be sidelined until after the international break with a thigh injury, but his surprisingly quick recovery saw him included in the squad for this trip, although he’s unlikely to start.Fran Garcia is doubtful after a tough challenge in the Madrid derby that saw Marcos Llorente sent off. Thibaut Courtois will also miss this match due to a muscle injury picked up at the Metropolitano.
Real Madrid are still without David Alaba, who is recovering from an ACL tear, along with Brahim Diaz and Dani Ceballos. On the positive side, Eduardo Camavinga returned to the squad over the weekend after more than a month out.
Lille will be without promising midfielder Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, who’s dealing with a foot injury. Recent England debutant Angel Gomes is suspended following his red card against Sporting.
Fortunately, manager Bruno Genesio can count on two in-form players, Edon Zhegrova and Jonathan David, who have scored Lille’s last eight goals between them, netting four each.
However, Lille are also dealing with injury concerns. Ismaily and Samuel Umtiti are both sidelined with knee problems, and Nabil Bentaleb remains doubtful due to illness.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Lille possible starting lineup:Chevalier; Tiago Santos, Diakite, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson; Andre, Andre Gomes, Cabella; Zhegrova, David, Sahraoui
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Lunin; Carvajal, Eder Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior
EXPERT PREDICTION
Lille 1-2 Real Madrid
Even without Mbappé, Real Madrid's attack is still incredibly dangerous. While Stuttgart gave them a tough challenge on matchday one, Real should be able to secure another three points here by simply outscoring Lille.
Lille has an impressive home record in Europe, but they're clear underdogs in this matchup for a reason. It looks likely that Les Dogues will suffer their fourth consecutive Champions League defeat, a streak they haven’t faced since 2012.
