Chelsea vs Lille Predictions and Betting Tips
The knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League resumes this Tuesday as defending champions Chelsea welcome Lile for the first leg of their last 16 tie the Stanford Bridge. Read on for our expert tips and predictions.
Across both legs, Chelsea got the better of their French opponents when both sides were pitted in the same group back in the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League campaign.
Chelsea eyeing a sixth consecutive win
Chelsea booked themselves a spot in the knockout rounds of the Champions League with a 2nd place finish in Group H. The 3-3 draw against Zenit in their final group game would've hurt them as this allowed the eventual group leaders Juventus to leapfrog them but looking at the knockout draws, they would surely be happy with their luck as they could've surely gotten a 'tougher opponent'. The Blues almost had their five-game winning run snapped last weekend by Crystal Palace but the Eagles were stopped by a late strike from Hakim Ziyech. Chelsea is far from the heights they hit last season when they went all the way in Europe's prestigious competition, nonetheless, they head into his first leg tie as heavy favourites.
Just like their opponents, Lille are far cry from the side they were last season when they halted PSG's dominance in the French Ligue 1. As it stands in the French top flight, Lille is in 11th position on the league standings but there's still an outside chance of Europe net season with just six points separating them from 4th place. Lille does have the capacity to turn up the volume, however, just like they did in their amazing group stage run when they picked up three wins in the final three games to top the group following a tough start. The question is, what sort of Lille would we see in London on Tuesday evening ?
Chelsea vs Lille Team News
Chelsea possible starting XI:
Mendy; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Havertz; Werner
Lille possible starting lineup:
Jardim; Celik, Fonte, Botman, Gudmundsson; Weah, Andre, Sanches, Bamba; David, Yilmaz
Chelsea vs Lille Prediction: 2-0
The Blues have been picking up the results in recent weeks, however, they haven't really been convincing. This would normally play into the hands of a top-quality team and although Lille is such a team, they haven't been impressive their last few games. As such, we're backing the hosts to secure a first-leg advantage.
