Chelsea will look to get their Champions League campaign back on track when they travel to France to face Lille on Wednesday.
The Blues fell to a frustrating 1-0 defeat at the hands of Valencia last time out, and Frank Lampard will know that any less than three points will be a huge blow to their chances of qualifying from the group stage.
A @ChampionsLeague trip to France next! #LOSCCHE pic.twitter.com/zayDoFD0rb
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 30, 2019
They will come up against a Lille side who are also looking to bounce back from their own defeat, having fallen 3-0 to Ajax in the first game of the campaign.
Check out 90min's preview of the game below.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Wednesday 2 October |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 20:00 (BST) |
| Where Is it Played? | Stade Pierre Mauroy |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | BT Sport 2 |
| Referee? | Aliaksiej Kuĺbakoŭ |
Team News
Lille remain without exciting young forward Timothy Weah, who has been dealing with a serious hamstring tear for the last few weeks. Apart from that, there are no further concerns for manager Christophe Galtier.
As for Chelsea, their squad is still plagued by injuries. Antonio Rudiger, Emerson and Ruben Loftus-Cheek remain sidelined, whilst N'Golo Kante will likely not be risked just yet. Olivier Giroud and Kurt Zouma have both battled illnesses in recent days and face a race against time to recover.
Predicted Lineups
| Lille | Maignan; Celik, Fonte, Soumaoro, Bradaric; Andre, Soumare; Araujo, Ikone, Bamba; Osimhen. |
| Chelsea | Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta; Tomori, Christensen, Alonso; Jorginho, Mount, Kovacic; Willian, Pedro, Abraham. |
Head to Head Record
The two sides have never faced off in the past, but Chelsea won't be encouraged by their less than impressive record against French sides in the past.
Their most recent outing against a Ligue 1 side came against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2015/16 campaign, in which the Blues lost both legs of their round of 16 tie to crash out in unspectacular fashion.
Lille have regularly faced Manchester United in the past, but their latest outing against an English side came in the form of Everton in the 2014/15 Europa League. They fell to a resounding 3-0 defeat back then, but a lot has changed since.
Recent Form
Lille had struggled for consistency following the departure of Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal in the summer. However, they are currently on a four-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1, and that 3-0 loss at the hands of Ajax was their only defeat in the month of September.
It has been a similar story for Chelsea. Frank Lampard's men have battled inconsistency all season, but look to have discovered some form in recent weeks. They recorded their first clean sheet of the season last time out against Brighton, which will give them plenty of confidence heading into the game.
That win followed impressive performances against Liverpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town, although that loss to Valencia has certainly increased the pressure on this game.
Here's how each side has performed in their last five games.
| Lille | Chelsea |
| Nice 1-1 Lille (28/9) | Chelsea 2-0 Brighton (28/9) |
| Lille 2-0 Strasbourg (25/9) | Chelsea 7-1 Grimsby Town (25/9) |
| Rennes 1-1 Lille (22/9) | Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool (22/9) |
| Ajax 3-0 Lille (17/9) | Chelsea 0-1 Valencia (17/9) |
| Lille 2-1 Angers (13/9) | Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-5 Chelsea (14/9) |
Prediction
This is a tough one to call. Having both fallen to defeats in their first game of the group stage, this match has suddenly doubled in importance for both LOSC Lille and Chelsea.
This is not the same Lille side who took France by storm last season, but the additions of both striker Victor Osimhen and midfielder Benjamin Andre have helped keep the squad on track for another impressive season.
However, Chelsea will feel as though they have enough about them to get the win here. Their form has improved drastically in recent weeks and they have looked incredibly impressive on several occasions. Buoyed by the confidence of keeping their first clean sheet at the weekend, the Blues should come out on top.
Prediction: Lille 1-2 Chelsea
Source : 90min