Overview.
Lille’s first UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage match since 2012 proved a brutal step up, yielding a 3-0 defeat away to Ajax with both halves lost. As such, they may look to take inspiration from a return of four wins from their opening eight Ligue 1 (L1) games. With at least one goal for them in each of the eight halves played across their four league victories of 2019/20, Lille entertain Chelsea after a flush run of eight L1 home wins dating back to April. Each of the last four victories in that group saw them win the first half precisely by a 1-0 scoreline.
Chelsea’s own losing UCL opener (0-1 at home to Valencia) was a huge anti-climax, representing their fourth game at this tier of European competition without a win (D2, L2). Both defeats saw them lose the second half 1-0 via a goal beyond the hour mark, while the two draws took the form of a 1-1 scoreline, with all goals coming after the break. For what it’s worth, Chelsea have been impressive in recent weeks on their domestic league travels too: P2, W2, outscoring the opposition on an average ratio of 2:1 across that sequence. Furthermore, the ‘Blues’ have never lost successive UCL group stage matches under the current format (2003/04-present).
Match Info and Score Prediction.
Competition: EUROPE Champions League Kick off: 02.10.2019, 19:00 UTC. Venue: Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Villeneuve d’Ascq). |
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