Liverpool need just a point to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League when they host Ligue 1 side Lille at Anfield on Tuesday evening.
The Reds have performed perfectly in the competition so far, although they had some luck beating Girona on matchday six last month. Previously, Liverpool beat the likes of AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid to secure a dominant position at the top of the league stage table.
Arne Slot’s side go into this game having scored late at Brentford on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points after Arsenal were pegged back by Aston Villa.
They will be tested by a Lille team that is unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions. Bruno Genesio’s side are in third place in France after coming from behind to beat Nice on Friday evening and are also currently in last place in the top eight in the European table
After losing at Sporting CP on matchday one, Lille won four of their next five games – including against Real Madrid – to put themselves in a strong position. A place in the round of 16 is far from certain, but their continental campaign will certainly extend beyond the end of January.
Here is 90 minutes Guide to Liverpool vs Lille in the Champions League.
Liverpool vs Lille H2H Results (All Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
Liverpool | Lille |
|---|---|
Brentford 0-2 Liverpool – 18/01/25 | Lille 2-1 Nice – 17/01/25 |
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool – 14/01/25 | Marseille 1-1 (3-4p) Lille – 14/01/25 |
Liverpool 4-0 Accrington – 11/01/25 | Auxerre 0-0 Lille – 01/10/25 |
Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool – 08/01/25 | Lille – Nantes 1-1 – 01/04/25 |
Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd – 01/05/25 | Rouen – Lille 0-1 – 12/20/24 |
country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Amazon Prime Video |
United States | Paramount+ |
Canada | DAZN Canada |
Liverpool head into Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Lille healthy, with Joe Gomez the only confirmed absentee. The centre-back is expected to be out until February with a thigh injury.
Diogo Jota, whose goal from the bench helped the Reds earn a point at Nottingham Forest, missed Saturday’s win over Brentford with a knock and is unlikely to recover in time for the visit to Lille.
There will certainly be some rotation from Slot, who hasn’t tinkered with his team too much so far. Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott could all be included in the team.
Predicted Liverpool line-up against Lille (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Jones; Salah, Elliott, Chiesa; Nunez.
Lille has a few more injury concerns than their hosts and will be without outsider Edon Zhegrova due to a muscle problem. Leading scorer Jonathan David will lead the line.
Ethan Mbappe and Nabil Bentaleb are unavailable in midfield, while Tiago Santos is out for the season with a knee injury.
Samuel Umtiti has barely played since joining the club and remains out of action.
Lille’s expected line-up against Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Knight; Meunier, Diakite, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Andre, Bouaddi; Bakker, Cabella, Sahrawi; David.
Lille must have a feeling of invincibility around them at the moment, but that can quickly fade in an environment like Anfield.
Genesio’s men have proven that they are not just beneficiaries of a rather weak Ligue 1, as their performances so far in the league phase demonstrate a balanced, well-rehearsed and adaptable team. They like to control games with the ball, but Genesio is aware that this is extremely difficult for Merseyside. Expect them to give up territory and look to hit a rotating Liverpool team on the counter-attack.
The slot rotation means the Reds probably won’t be as strong, but they’re hardly short of standout reserves. Whoever comes in will be desperate to show their skills and the Reds should win again at home.