Champions League Preview: Lille Face a Daunting Task Against Real Madrid; Mbappé Travels, Courtois Out Due to Injury

On October 3rd at 3 AM, Lille will host reigning champions Real Madrid in the second round of the 2024-25 Champions League group stage. Considering that Real Madrid is one of the most dominant teams in world football today, it is clear that Lille, despite playing at home, will find it extremely difficult to emerge unscathed. Notably, Mbappé has been participating in team training sessions recently and has traveled with the team to France, but his participation in the match remains uncertain.

In the first round of this season’s Champions League, Real Madrid secured a 3-1 victory over Bundesliga side Stuttgart at home, with goals from Mbappé, Rüdiger, and Endrick. In contrast, Lille suffered a 0-2 defeat against Sporting Lisbon in their opening match.

Real Madrid is one of the favorites to win the Champions League this season, with their overall strength unquestionable. Since the start of the new season, from the UEFA Super Cup to the Madrid derby in La Liga, Real Madrid has achieved seven wins and three draws, remaining unbeaten. The three draws Real Madrid experienced were all away games, ending 1-1 against Mallorca (La Liga), Las Palmas (La Liga), and Atlético Madrid (La Liga).

Since the start of the new season, Real Madrid’s performance on both offense and defense has been commendable. On the offensive front, Real Madrid averages 2.13 goals per game in La Liga, making them one of the top two teams with the highest average goals scored, only behind Barcelona (averaging 3.13 goals). Defensively, Real Madrid concedes an average of 0.75 goals per game, which is also the second-best in La Liga, trailing only Atlético Madrid (averaging 0.5 goals conceded).

In the Madrid derby on September 30th, Real Madrid’s first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois suffered an injury and will be out for some time, not traveling with the team to France. Fortunately, Mbappé’s recovery has progressed faster than expected, and he has not only participated in team training sessions but also made the trip to France for the match. However, according to Spanish media reports, while Mbappé might play in the match against Lille, both the player and the team are taking a cautious approach to his return to competition.

To date this season, Mbappé has made nine appearances for Real Madrid, scoring seven goals and providing one assist. Mbappé’s younger brother, Ethan Mbappé, currently plays for Lille, but due to a recurrence of a quadriceps injury, he will be out for 2-3 months, meaning there will be no “Mbappé brothers showdown” this time. During the Madrid derby, Vinícius Jr. had a clash with Atlético Madrid players like Koke, which sparked much discussion. However, in terms of form, Vinícius Jr. has been directly involved in goals in his last three matches, scoring once and assisting three times.

Lille narrowly eliminated Fenerbahçe and Slavia Prague before securing their place in the Champions League proper. Lille is a team with relatively fluctuating form, having won three consecutive matches at one point, only to follow it up with four straight losses. Lille is also a team known for their late-game heroics, scoring five goals in the final fifteen minutes of their Ligue 1 matches, which is the highest number of goals scored during that period; in the Champions League (including qualifiers and playoffs), they have also scored three goals in the final fifteen minutes, the most among all teams.

Lille’s recent form has been relatively poor, with only one win, one draw, and four losses in their last six matches. However, they managed to end their winless streak by defeating Le Havre 3-0 in a Ligue 1 match on September 29th. Lille’s star striker Jonathan David has been in excellent form recently, scoring in a 3-3 draw against Strasbourg and then netting a hat-trick in the 3-0 victory over Le Havre. Unfortunately, Lille’s key midfielder Renato Sanches received a red card in their first Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon and will be suspended for this round, which will undoubtedly impact Lille significantly.

>>”>More Predictions and Analysis for This Match>>>