Still on course for a historic Champions League achievement, Lille welcome Borussia Dortmund for the return leg of their round of 16 tie on Wednesday.
The Mastiffs have the opportunity to reach the quarter-finals for the first time ever, following an impressive performance in the first leg last Tuesday.
Match preview
© Imago
Not the most obvious of advantages, but after battling to a 1-1 draw at Dortmund, Lille have every reason to believe they can make history, especially with Stade Pierre-Mauroy standing as an imposing fortress in European competition.
LOSC boast a formidable record at the ground, winning 10 of their last 12 continental matches (D2), including three of four outings in this season's league phase, having edged Sturm Graz 3-2, stunned holders Real Madrid 1-0 and dismantled Feyenoord 6-1 on matchday eight, only dropping points in a 1-1 stalemate against Juventus before that.
In fact, Lille's impressive form on home soil played a pivotal role in their automatic qualification for this stage, contributing 10 points to their total haul of 16 and ensuring a seventh-place finish in the opening rounds.
Their strength at Stade Pierre-Mauroy was evident once again in Ligue 1 at the weekend, as Bruno Genesio's side battled past bottom-placed Montpellier HSC 1-0, with Jonathan David striking early in the second half to secure a hard-fought win.
Victory on Wednesday would see Lille claim their first-ever knockout tie triumph in the Champions League, though they will need to break a familiar pattern, with last week's result marking the third consecutive draw in meetings between these sides.
Their previous encounters came in the UEFA Cup fourth round in 2001-02, when a goalless stalemate in Germany was followed by a 1-1 scoreline in France, allowing Dortmund to progress on away goals.
© Imago
If beautiful goals alone could guarantee victory, Karim Adeyemi's sublime half-volley in the first leg would have done the job, but instead, Hakon Arnar Haraldsson's second-half equaliser has left Niko Kovac's side facing an uphill battle to reach back-to-back quarter-finals.
That challenge is only heightened by BVB's struggles in France, where they have won just two of their last 11 trips (D2 L6), though they can take heart from their most recent outing — a 1-0 victory at Paris Saint-Germain last term, which set them on course for a 2-0 aggregate triumph before they fell to Real Madrid in the final.
That success over PSG brought Die Borussen's record in two-legged ties against French clubs to four wins and three losses, having suffered elimination in the previous three.
Dortmund will hope to scale through another such opponent on Wednesday, with their away form in this season's competition offering encouragement, winning three of five matches (L2), including a commanding 3-0 triumph at Sporting Lisbon in the knockout phase play-off opening leg, which ultimately proved decisive.
However, BVB have an unwanted statistic to overcome, having been eliminated in seven of the eight European ties where they drew at home in the first leg, most recently against Liverpool in the 2015-16 Europa League quarter-finals (1-1 h, 3-4 a).
Adding to Dortmund's need for a response, they enter this Wednesday's clash on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Augsburg in the Bundesliga, extending their winless run to two matches following last week's stalemate in France.
Team News
© Imago
Lille have three confirmed absentees for Wednesday's early kickoff, with Edon Zhegrova, Tiago Santos and Samuel Umtiti all ruled out through injury, while Osame Sahraoui is a doubt after missing the last four matches with a hip problem.
Adding to their fitness concerns, Mitchel Bakker was forced off at half-time against Montpellier with a tendon issue, while Gabriel Gudmundsson missed the match through illness.
Meanwhile, Nabil Bentaleb is ineligible to feature for Les Dogues, having only just returned to action in mid-February after recovering from a heart attack, meaning he did not meet the registration deadline.
Lille could opt for an unchanged lineup from last week's 1-1 draw, though they may tweak their shape by deploying a 4-3-2-1 system.
Dortmund's Daniel Svensson suffered a knee injury in the first leg that will keep him sidelined for several weeks, joining Felix Nmecha (knee) as the only confirmed absentees for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Carney Chukwuemeka remains a doubt due to a thigh problem, having only made a couple of substitute appearances recently.
Kovac is unlikely to make sweeping changes to his side, with Serhou Guirassy — who leads the Champions League scoring charts with 10 goals — expected to lead the line once again against his former club.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Meunier, Diakite, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Bouaddi, Andre, Mukau; Mbappe, David, Haraldsson
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Bynoe-Gittens; Guirassy
We say: Lille 2-1 Borussia Dortmund (Lille to win 3-2 on aggregate)
This is a tough one to call, given Lille's strong home record in the Champions League and Dortmund's pedigree in the competition.
However, the visitors have not been entirely convincing of late, and while they have held their own on the road in this season's tournament, they have not exactly been a tough side to break down, suffering two defeats in five away outings.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
