After a gala victory against Real Madrid before the international break (1-0), Lille
returns to the Champions League with a stronger appetite. But the dreams of tomorrow are also eclipsed by the reality of the moment: that of a club already decimated by injuries.
“We can ask ourselves the question of the number of injuries following our fairly early start to the seasonexplained Bruno Genesio to the press. They are mainly joint. I think that the accumulation of meetings plays on mental and psychological preparation. We can be a little less alert during sessions, which happened to Tiago (Santos). Now it’s hard to know the causes. The schedule is quite daunting for those who are selected with their national team and compete in the European Cup. »
Genesio’s puzzle
To challenge Atlético in Madrid, Bruno Genesio will therefore have to do without several important players. The list of long-term injured is full. In addition to Samuel Umtiti (knee) and Nabil Bentaleb whose condition is reassuring (heart problem), LOSC is still deprived of Hakon Haraldsson, Ismaily, Ethan Mbappé and Tiago Santos.
The good news concerns the return of the very precious Benjamin André. Suspended during the trip to Monaco for the resumption of Ligue 1 last Friday, the midfielder will be well aligned in the midfield. For the rest, LOSC should count on its other strong men of the moment, from its triggers Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova to its goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier.
The expected line-up for Lille : Chevalier – Meunier, Diakité, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson – André, Bouaddi – Zhegrova, Gomes, Sahraoui – David.
