Atletico Madrid will want to ditch the demons of Lisbon when they return to Champions League action on Wednesday night and face Lille.
Diego Simeone’s side are typically a formidable force in this competition but were put to the sword by Benfica on Matchday 2 as Bruno Lage’s side ran out 4-0 winners.
The La Liga giants had started their campaign with a dramatic victory over RB Leipzig but their three-point haul means they sit in the bottom half of the league phase table. Domestically, Atletico are third in La Liga having beaten Leganes 3-1 at the weekend.
Lille’s Champions League campaign may well have peaked early on as they secured a historic victory over Real Madrid last time out. A Jonathan David penalty proved to be the difference between the two sides as Bruno Genesio’s side made up for their Matchday 1 defeat at Sporting CP.
Their venture to the Spanish capital arrives after struggling against ten-player Monaco in Ligue 1 on Friday night, with Lille currently fourth in the table.
Here is 90min’s guide to Atletico Madrid’s upcoming Champions League clash against Lille.
Atletico Madrid vs Lille H2H Record
This is the first competitive fixture between Atletico Madrid and Lille.
Current form (all competitions)
|
Atletico Madrid |
Lille |
|---|---|
|
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Leganes – 20/10/24 |
Monaco 0-0 Lille – 18/10/24 |
|
Real Sociedad 1-1 Atletico Madrid – 06/10/24 |
Lille 2-1 Toulouse – 05/10/24 |
|
Benfica 4-0 Atletico Madrid – 02/10/24 |
Lille 1-0 Real Madrid – 02/10/24 |
|
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Real Madrid – 29/09/24 |
Le Havre 0-3 Lille – 28/09/24 |
|
Celta Vigo 0-1 Atletico Madrid – 26/09/24 |
Lille 3-3 Strasbourg – 21/09/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
discovery+, discovery+ App, TNT Sports 6 |
|
United States |
Paramount+, fuboTV, ViX, CBS Sports Network |
|
Canada |
DAZN |
Robin Le Normand, who joined the club in the summer, is out for the foreseeable future with a serious head injury and it’s not yet known when the defender will return to action.
Cesar Azpilicueta also remains out with a thigh injury, but Marcos Llorente is closing in on his comeback having sustained a muscle injury in the 4-0 defeat to Benfica. Llorente is back in training, but this fixture may arrive too soon for the versatile Spaniard.
Clement Lenglet is a fresh injury concern from the weekend’s win over Leganes which should see Simeone retain a back four on Wednesday.
Julian Alvarez could partner Alexander Sorloth up top, with the big-money summer addition replacing Angel Correa in the XI.
Atletico Madrid predicted lineup vs Lille (4-1-2-1-2): Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Gimenez, Galan; Koke, De Paul, Gallagher; Griezmann; Alvarez, Sorloth.
Lille’s injury list is similarly extensive. The visitors are without Tiago Santos, Ismaily, Hakon Arnar Haraldsson and Ethan Mbappe on Wednesday night. Santos is set to miss the rest of the 2024/25 season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.
Samuel Umtiti is also likely to miss out with a knee injury, but Angel Gomes can be called upon again having missed the Madrid victory through suspension.
Lille predicted lineup vs Atletico Madrid (4-2-3-1): Chevalier; Meunier, Diakite, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson; Bouaddi, Andre; Zhegrova, Gomes, Cabella; David.
It’s surely not going to get any better for Lille in Europe this season after they downed the 15-time European champions on Matchday 2. That victory will hand them all the confidence in the world, but this is a tough assignment.
Atletico may not be the rugged and stout unit of years past, but beating them at the Metropolitano is incredibly tough. Simeone’s side have shown signs of purring in attack even if star summer arrival Alvarez is yet to fire. Sorloth has quickly found his groove, while Antoine Griezmann remains irresistible. The Frenchman typically shines on occasions like these.
Expect the visitors to trouble the scorers, but Atletico should return to winning ways in the league phase.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid 3-1 Lille
READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE
