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UCL Previews: LOSC, AS Monaco in action
LOSC Lille-Real Madrid
After a disheartening 2-0 loss away to Sporting Club de Portugal on Matchday One, a match that saw creative lynchpin Angel Gomes sent off, Les Dogues will hope to right the ship against La Real. In their last two league matches, Bruno Génésio's team have filled their boots, scoring three against both Strasbourg and Le Havre, with Jonathan David getting a hat trick against the latter this weekend. As for their opponents, Los Blancos are coming off a gritty one-all derby draw at the weekend, but as they showed in beating Stuttgart 3-1 on Matchday One, are a dangerous opponent.
Crucially, though, the visitors will be without Thibaut Courtois after the goalkeeper injured his hamstring in that match, meaning Andrey Lunin is likely to start in goal. Elsewhere in the team, a face familiar to Ligue 1 fans, Kylian Mbappé, remains a doubt, and is unlikely to start, leaving Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior to shoulder the load in attack. Lille, in addition to the suspended Gomes, are also without Nabil Bentaleb and playmaker Haakon Haraldsson, and with Andre Gomes not in the squad, teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi is likely to play alongside Benjamin André in midfield.
Dinamo Zagreb-AS Monaco
The Monégasques will come into this match brimming with confidence, having seen off Barcelona in the previous round, and with five wins and a draw from their six Ligue 1 McDonald's matches. Manager Adi Hütter has things clicking for the principality side and will start a strong team, having rested several players at the weekend. In-form Folarin Balogun is likely to lead the line on his own, with Maghnes Akliouche playing on the right flank and the team's two Brazilian fullbacks, Caio Henrique and Vanderson, also back in the side.
The hosts, who were humbled by Bayern Munich, 9-2, on the first matchday, will also have a first-choice side available, with a familiar face in former Saint-Étienne and Brest fullback Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel likely to feature from the off. Third in their country's league, Dinamo are coming off successive wins, but have also let go of manager Sergej Jakirović on the back of the loss to Bayern.
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