Lille, which hosts Juventus Turin on Tuesday (9 p.m.) at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium, is full of confidence on the European scene and occupies 15th place in the league stage with six unexpected points considering the first three opponents faced and its opening match concluded with a worrying defeat against Sporting Lisbon (2-0) on Portuguese soil.
Where will Losc stop? After two major performances against Real Madrid (1-0) at home then Atlético de Madrid (1-3) in the Spanish capital, the 4th in Ligue 1 looks straight in the eyes of his Italian visitor of the day, another big name in world football.
If he insists that “every Champions League match is different”coach Bruno Genesio hopes his players will build on their recent prowess. “What is important is to be aware of what we have already done, two exploits against Real and Atlético. When you are able to do it once or twice, you should be able to reproduce it. »
According to statistician Opta, a team has a 69% chance of qualifying for the play-offs with nine points, 99% with ten…
The stakes are all the greater as the Mastiffs could, thanks to a new success, move considerably closer to qualifying for the play-offs for the round of 16. “Statistically, we can say that we would have a two in three chance of being there”summarizes the coach.
Injuries galore
Juve are 5th in Serie A, where they are still undefeated after 11 days (5 wins, 6 draws), and also have six points on the clock in C1, acquired however against weaker clubs. The Piedmontese club relied mainly on an excellent defense until the beginning of October. The injury to central defender Gleison Bremer then caused him to plunge into this area.
This does not prevent the northern technician from being wary of this formation like Thiago Motta, his counterpart. “We want to impose our game but we also know that there will be moments when we will have to be very solid, because it is a team which is very well organized tactically, with a coach who, already as as a player, had a very important tactical posture. He passed it on to his team, which also has a lot of individuality and talent. »
The Lille residents have to juggle with the increasingly numerous absences (Nabil Bentaleb, Hakon Haraldsson, Tiago Santos, Ismaïly, Éthan Mbappé, André Gomes, Rémy Cabella, Samuel Umtiti, Ousmane Touré and Thomas Meunier), which can be explained by the fact that they have played a lot since the start of the season.
Monaco in Bologna to bounce back
A success in Bologna would put Monaco in a very favorable position to qualify among the 24 best teams in the Champions League. But Adi Hütter’s team, at a standstill in Ligue 1, must therefore “rediscover your values”. “I think that with ten points, we would pass”had released the Austrian coach before the river victory over Red Star Belgrade (5-1), which placed ASM in 4th place with 7 units after three matches.
Last Wednesday, the technician gathered his locker room for a general explanation after the errors and “lack of control” detrimental against Lille (0-0) then in Nice (2-1 defeat). He had been strict but had not scolded his players. It was not the same after “the worst match of the season” against promoted Angers (0-1), Friday at Louis-II.
What Hütter saw made him furious. “It’s simple, we missed everything”he was going to thunder. “The analysis will be uncompromising” because the sports management of the Principality club “cannot accept attitudes” of some during this part.
The Monegasques especially failed collectively in what makes them strong: pressing high in an orderly manner. However, without their captain and stabilizer Denis Zakaria, they are orphans. Hit in the adductors on his last shot during the warm-up just before kick-off at neighboring Nice on October 27, the Swiss international will not be present this Tuesday on Italian ground. Its absence is detrimental as “his impact on our game is significant”admits the coach.
“We miss him but we have to find other solutions”explains the one who, after testing Soungoutou Magassa then the Russian Aleksandr Golovin to accompany the Senegalese Lamine Camara in his double-pivot, is looking for the best formula.
