Chelsea will hope to inch closer to reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals when they welcome Lille to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
The UEFA Champions League resumes this midweek, with the remaining Round of 16 first leg ties scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Chelsea will be in action in one of the two games on Tuesday, playing hosts to Lille at Stamford Bridge, hoping to take a step towards the next stage.
Chelsea progressed to the Champions League Round of 16 by finishing as Group H runners-up behind Juventus. But the Blues have been stuttering since their group stage campaign ended in December, losing ground in the Premier League title race. That said, Thomas Tuchel’s men have won their last five games in all competitions, winning the Club World Cup in the process.
On the other hand, Lille reached the Round of 16 by winning Group G ahead of Red Bull Salzburg. But Les Dogues’ form has been even patchier than Chelsea’s, as they have failed to string together a run of results outside the Champions League throughout the season. Their most recent outing was a goalless draw with Metz that did nothing to bolster their credentials in Ligue 1.
Chelsea and Lille last locked horns in the UEFA Champions League group stage in the 2019/20 season, with the Blues winning both the contests 2-1. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
It's time to hear from Thomas Tuchel and Edouard Mendy ahead of our #UCL match tomorrow night! ? https://t.co/3bFIc18qrs
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 21, 2022
Thomas Tuchel does not have any fresh injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Lille. On Tuesday, the Chelsea manager could be bereft of the services of as many as five first-team players.
Ben Chilwell remains a long-term absentee due to his season-ending knee injury, while Callum Hudson-Odoi (knock) is also certain to miss out against Lille. Tuchel is also sweating over the fitness of Reece James (hamstring), Cesar Azpilicueta (muscle injury) and Mason Mount (ankle), with the trio major doubts for Tuesday’s game.
In the absence of Azpilicueta and James, Tuchel will likely line his side up in a 4-3-3 formation that will shuffle between its original form and a 3-5-2, depending on the phase of the game. Edouard Mendy will take his place between the sticks, with Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Malang Sarr being the four defenders.
Christensen, Silva and Rudiger will form a back three when Chelsea’s formation morphs into a 3-5-2. Sarr will reprise the left wing-back role while being the left-back in the original system. On the opposite flank, Hakim Ziyech will turn into a right wing-back, and he will look to be the creative supremo for Chelsea in Mount’s absence.
N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Mateo Kovacic will be Chelsea’s three central midfielders, with Kante and Kovacic tasked with providing the forward thrust from the middle of the park. Jorginho will look to pull the strings from his deep-lying position, acting as the link between defence and attack.
Romelu Lukaku has been in the news for all the wrong reasons but continues to be backed by Tuchel. The Belgian international will thus spearhead the Chelsea attack against Lille, with Timo Werner completing the offensive unit, leaving Christian Pulisic as a backup option on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Mendy; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger, Sarr; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Ziyech, Lukaku, Werner
Lille
Unlike his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Jocelyn Gourvennec does not have many pressing rosters issues to contend with ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Lille boss will likely be without only one first-team player, with Angel Gomes missing out due to a calf injury.
Leo Jardim will take his place between the sticks for Lille, who will line up in a 4-4-2 formation against Chelsea. Jose Fonte and Sven Botman will form the central defensive partnership, with the duo’s efforts being crucial in keeping a lid on Romelu Lukaku’s output.
Just touched down in London town ??#LOSC | ? #CHELOSC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/DtIaNSygLF
— LOSC (@LOSC_EN) February 21, 2022
Gabriel Gudmundsson and Zeki Celik will be the two full-backs, with the duo shouldering a lot of defensive responsibility. Up ahead in midfield, Benjamin Andre and Renato Sanches will look to keep things tight in the centre of the park.
Sanches will also be tasked with pushing Lille forward during transitions, linking up with the two wide midfielders. Timothy Weah and Jonathan Bamba will look to be direct in their approach in the final third, with the duo providing width higher up the pitch.
Finally, Jonathan David and Burak Yilmaz will form the strike partnership, with the two centre-forwards being Lille’s best hope against Chelsea in the final third. Hatem Ben Arfa will likely be a backup attacking option, with the Frenchman being the X-Factor for Lille in the second half.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Jardim; Celik, Fonte, Botman, Gudmundsson; Weah, Andre, Sanches, Bamba; David, Yilmaz
Key Stats
- Chelsea and Lille have met in just one European campaign previously – the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League – when the English side won both group stage matches by the same 2-1 scoreline.
- Chelsea have only lost one of their previous ten home European matches against French sides (W6 D3), a 1-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in March 2016, which knocked the Blues out of the UEFA Champions League.
- Tuesday’s game will be Lille’s ninth UEFA Champions League match against English clubs and third versus Chelsea. Their other six games all came against Manchester United, with only one of their eight such matches ending in victory (D2 L5), a 1-0 win over the Red Devils in November 2005 thanks to a goal from Milenko Acimovic.
- Only Manchester City (15) and Bayern Munich (14) have won more UEFA Champions League matches than reigning champions Chelsea (13) since the start of last season, who – before last season – had been eliminated from the competition in five consecutive knockout ties between 2013/14 and 2019/20.
- Including finals, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has progressed/won 73% UEFA Champions League knockout ties (8/11). Only three other managers boast a higher such rate among those to have overseen at least ten knockout contests within the competition – Vicente del Bosque (80% – 8/10), Josef Heynckes (86% – 12/14) and Zinedine Zidane (88% – 14/16).
Player to Watch
Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku’s popular return to Chelsea has not quite gone to plan. The Belgian striker had been hoping to take care of unfinished business from his maiden stint with the Blues, but poor form and fitness issues have hampered him from being as influential as he would have liked.
Lukaku reached one of his lowest ebbs as a Chelsea player this past weekend when he managed a paltry seven touches on the ball throughout the game against Crystal Palace. That is a Premier-League low since the advent of statistical data collection nearly two decades ago. Lukaku will be eager to set the record straight and show he still has a lot to offer to Chelsea, starting with the game against Lille.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-0 Lille
Chelsea will be the favourites to win the game, but their creative issues mean Lille will likely drag the first leg contest for long periods. Romelu Lukaku’s poor form will not help matters for the Blues, leaving the in-form Hakim Ziyech with a lot to do again.
As for Lille, the presence of Jonathan David and Burak Yilmaz means the visitors cannot be taken lightly. But the solid Chelsea defence should keep the Lille attackers at bay, helping Chelsea to a clean sheet. In the end, the hosts should clinch a narrow 1-0 win that will keep Lille in the contest heading into next month’s second leg.
