Chelsea vs Lille: UCL RO16, Second Leg Preview, Details, Team News, and Dream11 Team Predictions

Chelsea vs Lille is the upcoming second leg match in this year's UEFA Champions League. As the current Champions League holder's Chelsea look to sail through to the last 8, while Lille looks to pull off an upset.

Chelsea vs Lille: Match Preview:

Chelsea progressed to the Champions League Round of 16 by finishing as Group H runners-up behind Juventus. But the Blues have been stuttering since their group stage campaign ended in December, losing ground in the Premier League title race. That said, Thomas Tuchel's men have won their last five games in all competitions, winning the Club World Cup in the process.

On the other hand, Lille reached the Round of 16 by winning Group G ahead of Red Bull Salzburg. But Les Dogues' form has been even patchier than Chelsea's, as they have failed to string together a run of results outside the Champions League throughout the season. Their most recent outing was a goalless draw with Metz that did nothing to bolster their credentials in Ligue 1.

Chelsea vs Lille: Match Details:

Date: 17/03/2022

Time: 1:30 AM

Venue: Stade Pierre Mauroy, France.

Where to watch in India: Sony Network and Jio TV

Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)

Assistant Referees: Filippo Meli, Stefano Alassio, Luca Pairetto (Italy)

Team News:

Chelsea:

As for Chelsea, Ben Chilwell and Reece James remain absent for the long-term, but Tuchel will hope to welcome Cesar Azpilicueta back from a bout of illness in time for Wednesday's encounter.

Callum Hudson-Odoi is more of a concern as he battles a reported Achilles issue, but Thiago Silva is expected to return to the rearguard after enjoying a complete rest in the Newcastle win.

It would not be much of a surprise to see Tuchel revert to the bulk of the XI which started the first-leg win last month, which would mean recalls for Marcos Alonso and Christian Pulisic ahead of Malang Sarr and Timo Werner.

Lille:

Lille should be able to welcome Benjamin Andre back from illness in time for the second leg - a timely return with Renato Sanches picking up yet another injury in the first half of the Saint-Etienne stalemate.

The Portuguese is now expected to miss the rest of the month owing to his latest thigh problem, but Gourvennec is otherwise working with a fully-fit squad as Xeka holds his place in the middle alongside Andre.

Gourvennec has been reluctant to start Burak Yilmaz alongside Jonathan David in recent weeks, but Les Dogues' need for goals could tempt the hosting manager to reintroduce the Turkish veteran here.

Chelsea vs Lille: Head to Head:

This will just be the fourth meeting between the two sides and Chelsea have enjoyed a 100% record in the three encounters so far.

Recent form in all competitions:

Chelsea Form Index: W-L-W-W-W

Lille Form Index: W-D-L-W-W

Chelsea vs Lille: Predicted Line-ups:

Lille Predicted Line-ups: Jardim; Celik, Fonte, Botman, Djalo; Bamba, Andre, Xeka, Gudmundsson; David, Yilmaz

Chelsea Predicted Line-ups: Mendy; Silva, Christensen, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Havertz, Pulisic

CHE vs LIL: Dream 11 Predictions: