Reigning French champions Lille OSC have their backs against the wall on Wednesday when they host Chelsea in the second leg of their Round of 16 Champions League matchup. The Blues, who happen to be the reigning Champions League title holders, won the first leg in London 2-0 three weeks ago.
That means the Mastiffs will need a three-goal win at home in order to advance, while a two-goal win would force extra time and potentially penalty kicks. In other words, Chelsea is firmly in the driver’s seat heading into Wednesday’s match.
Lille vs Chelsea Stats
Looking at the Chelsea stats
It’s hard for Chelsea fans to complain too much about the club’s current season. While they suffered a disappointing loss in the finals of the Carabao Cup, the club has advanced to the FA Cup quarterfinals and is close to advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals. The Blues also sit third in the Premier League and look like a lock to play in the Champions League again next season.
More recently, Chelsea’s only defeat in the last two months was in a penalty shootout against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup finals, which technically counts as a draw. That gives Chelsea an unbeaten run of 12 straight matches, including their wins at the Club World Cup. In fact, if you take out the Carabao Cup final with Liverpool, the Blues have won 10 straight matches.
Amidst that success, it’s been a surprising year for the Chelsea attack, which has only gotten five goals out of striker Romelu Lukaku. Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, and Jorginho have all outscored the Belgian striker this season. Nevertheless, the Blues rank third in the Premier League in goals scored, including 11 in their last four matches.
At the same time, Chelsea has conceded just 19 times in 28 Premier League matches, which is the second-fewest in England. On top of that, the Blues have allowed just four goals in their seven Champions League matches. After keeping a hot Newcastle team scoreless this past weekend, Chelsea has seven clean sheets in its last 11 matches.
Looking at the Lille stats
Last season was a dream for Lille, which won the Ligue 1 championship. However, the Mastiffs have failed to keep it going this season, as they currently sit sixth in France, six points out of a Champions League spot for next season. Despite winning their Champions League group, they are now facing elimination in the Round of 16.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Lille is unbeaten in five straight Ligue 1 matches. However, they’ve settled for two draws during that stretch, including a disappointing scoreless draw with St. Etienne this past weekend. In fact, since the start of the new year, Lille has just four wins in 11 matches.
Lille ranks a mere ninth in Ligue 1 in goals scored this season. Canadian striker Jonathan David has led the way with 13 goals, but nobody else has scored more than four goals for the Mastiffs domestically. Also, a 4-0 win over Clermont Foot earlier this month is the only time Lille has scored more than one goal in its last eight matches.
Overall, the Lille defense has been rather average as well. The Mastiffs have allowed 37 goals in 28 Ligue 1 matches despite allowing just six goals in their seven Champions League matches this season.
On the bright side, the Lille defense has kept a clean sheet in five straight matches in domestic competition, although they obviously allowed two goals in the loss to Chelsea last month.
Team Leaders
Betting Trends for Lille vs Chelsea
- Chelsea is unbeaten in 12 straight matches across all competitions.
- Lille has four wins in its last 11 matches across all competitions.
- Chelsea has kept seven clean sheets in its last 11 matches across all competitions.
- Only one team has scored in seven of Lille’s last eight matches.
Lille vs Chelsea Prediction
Looking at the Champions League betting odds, we can see that the sports betting guides have Chelsea as the clear favorites in this match with a -115 moneyline. Meanwhile, betting guides have Lille’s moneyline around +300 with a moneyline of +250 for a draw.
Since they need a three-goal win to advance, Lille should be aggressive in this match, giving them a chance to win the match, even if they don’t advance.
However, Chelsea is tough defensively and has the pieces to strike on the counterattack. While Lille has been a little better defensively, their domestic form this season has been unconvincing, making Chelsea one of the better Champions League picks for this match.
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