Chelsea tipped to dominate Champions League first leg against Lille

Chelsea vs Lille OSC - 22/02/2022

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On Tuesday, Chelsea will be looking to extend their five-game winning streak in all competitions when they welcome Lille to Stamford Bridge in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Thomas Tuchel’s men sit third in the Premier League standings – seven points behind second-place Liverpool and 13 points behind top-of-the-table Manchester City.

Over in France, Lille find themselves languishing in mid-table – 23 points behind first-place Paris Saint-Germain. Needless to say, their title defence ended a long time ago.

Chelsea head into Tuesday’s clash on the back of a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, with Hakim Ziyech netting an 89th-minute winner at Selhurst Park.

Following success at the FIFA Club World Cup, the Blues have won each of their previous five games across all competitions – scoring over 1.5 goals on three occasions during that period.

When you look at the bigger picture, Chelsea have lost just one of their past 18 encounters. That is not good news for Lille.

The English side booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League by losing just one of their six group games. They finished second in Group H – two points behind Juventus.

On the flip side, Lille finished atop Group G after picking up three wins, two draws and one loss during the group stage.

However, it’s fair to say that Lille’s domestic performances have not been as good as their Champions League displays this season.

The defending Ligue 1 champions have only managed to win nine of their 25 league matches this term, recording nine draws and seven defeats along the way.

They have also managed to win just two of their previous seven outings across all competitions, registering a goalless draw with Metz last time out.

Head-to-head: Chelsea and Lille were drawn into the same Champions League group for the 2019/20 season. Sadly, Lille do not have good memories of this fixture.

The Blues beat Lille 2-1 in France before replicating that result on home soil. Tuchel’s men can take confidence from that.

Team news: Ben Chilwell remains a long-term absentee for Chelsea. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mason Mount and Reece James are also doubts for Tuesday’s clash.

As for Lille, they no fresh injury concerns ahead of the first leg. Their danger men are Jonathan David and Renato Sanches.

Given the contrasting form of these two sides, Chelsea are expected to rack up a hefty first-leg advantage on Tuesday.

For that reason, Forebet predicts that Chelsea will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching Lille – keeping a clean sheet in the process.

Home team
Away team

Probability %

1X2

Pred

Correct score

Avg. goals

Weather conditions

Coef.

Score

Live
coef.

UCL

Chelsea Lille OSC 22/02/2022 21:00

552817

1

3 - 0

2.58

10°

1.33

1.33 5.00 9.50 no no no

FT

2 - 0(1 - 0)

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