UCL Preview: Lille head to Dortmund
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While two of Ligue 1 McDonald's UEFA Champions League representatives have been knocked out of the competition at the playoff round stage -- Stade Brestois and AS Monaco -- two more remain, and each of LOSC Lille and Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to keep their runs in the competition going, starting with Les Dogues' trip to face Borussia Dortmund tomorrow. Read on for our preview of the match.
Building on recent success
Lille have been, along with Brest, a side that has captured the imagination in this year's Champions League. With impressive wins over the likes of Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, they finished in the Top 8 of the league phase, the best among the four French sides, and have now been handed a decent draw against a team mired in the middle of the pack in Germany. Playing with a rotated side in Paris on Saturday, they lost 4-1, but despite that setback, they're clearly focused on this encounter.
Speaking to the press, manager Bruno Génésio averred that his side's accomplishments to date are no fluke, and that they aren't merely there to make up the numbers, saying, "We are among the best 16 teams in Europe, which means we get to experience moments like these." While injuries (Edon Zhegrova, Ousame Sahraoui) may have limited his options in attack, with Jonathan David leading the line and a combative midfield, Lille are never out of any contest and will be eager to continue their European adventure with a good result on the road.
➡️ 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐝 ✈️🇩🇪#UCL #BVBLOSC pic.twitter.com/cjvjspzULU
— LOSC (@losclive) March 3, 2025
Familiar faceS on the Dortmund side
While Lille will of course still be licking their wounds from the defeat against PSG, their opponents aren't in much better nick. Sitting tenth in the Bundesliga, this Dortmund side are a far cry from the team that reached the final of the competition last season, having already parted ways with Nuri Sahin for a face that will be familiar to fans of Ligue 1, Niko Kovac. The former AS Monaco boss has brought stability to his new team, helping them advanced past Sporting Club in the previous round, but there is still work to be done domestically even if he won't rule out another deep run in the competition.
Leading the line for Kovac is likely to be Serhou Guirassy, a former Lille player who had his best spell in France across time with Amiens and Rennes before upping sticks to the Bundesliga. While the beginning of his season was uneven, he's rounded into form of late, having put four past Union Berlin last weekend. With ten goals in the Champions League, he is the competition's leading scorer and will be a tall order for Les Dogues' defence.
Predicted lineups:
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Svensson; Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
LOSC Lille (4-3-3): Chevalier; Meunier, Diakité, Alexsandro, Ismaily; Mukau, André, Bouaddi; Haraldsson, David, Bakker (or Cabella)
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