Lille travel to Germany to take on Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday, and we’ve got the latest team news and predicted lineups included in our preview ahead of the action.
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille Champions League Preview
Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund welcome French side Lille to Westfalenstadion for the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday evening, where they’ll be looking to extend their winning run to three straight matches.
Dortmund, who missed out on direct qualification to the last 16 by just one point after ending the league phase in 10th place, comfortably overcame Sporting in the knockout play-off round via a 3-0 aggregate victory.
In the first leg, BVB triumphed 3-0 in the Portuguese capital courtesy of goals from Pascal Gross, Karim Adeyemi, and the competition’s top goalscorer, Serhou Guirassy, before playing out a goalless stalemate in the second leg.
Despite largely impressing in continental play thus far this term, the German side, now managed by Niko Kovac following the sacking of Nuri Sahin, have struggled domestically. At the time of writing, they sit in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table, occupying 10th place, but come into this one off the back of 6-0 and 2-0 wins over Union Berlin and St. Pauli.
UCL time. ⏱️✨ pic.twitter.com/60FtWgfTI6
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) March 3, 2025
As for Lille, a thumping 6-1 victory over Feyenoord on the final matchday of the league phase ensured a seventh-place finish in the Champions League table, thus securing their direct advancement to the round of 16.
Other standout results for Bruno Genesio’s side in the competition this season include a 1-0 win over Real Madrid on MD2, a 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on MD3 and a 2-1 triumph over Serie A side Bologna on MD5.
In recent weeks though, Les Dogues have been rather inconsistent, having won three and lost three across all competitions since the start of February. During this time, they were eliminated from the Coupe de France after suffering a penalty shootout defeat to second-tier side USL Dunkerque, and they lost their most recent league outing 4-1 to PSG.
Throughout history, Dortmund and Lille have met just twice in competitive play, as they faced off in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup during the 2001/02 season. Both meetings ended in draws, the first leg 1-1 and the second leg 0-0, with eventual finalists Dortmund advancing to the quarter-finals thanks to the away goals rule.
Borussia Dortmund Team News
Chelsea loanee Carney Chukwuemeka is a doubt for Lille’s visit on Tuesday due to load management, while Felix Nmecha (knee) and Filippo Mane (muscular) are expected to miss out.
Julian Ryerson has reportedly struggled with illness since the win over Union Berlin last month, however the right-back featured in training on Monday and should therefore be involved in the first leg.
Lille Team News
Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is ineligible to feature in the last 16, while Tiago Santos (knee), Samuel Umtiti (calf), Osame Sahraoui (pubis) and Edon Zhegrova (groin) are ruled out.
Gabriel Gudmundsson is also a doubt after missing training earlier in the week with flu-like symptoms, but the Swede has travelled to Germany with the squad, so there is some hope that he’ll be able to participate.
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille Predicted Lineups
Borussia Dortmund Predicted Lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
Lille Predicted Lineup:
Chevalier; Meunier, Diakite, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Mukau, Bouaddi, Andre; Haraldsson, David, Bakker
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites make Borussia Dortmund clear favourites to come out on top in the first leg, priced at around 8/13, while a draw is rated at around 31/10 and a victory for the visitors is priced at 17/4.
Based on recent form, momentum is clearly with the hosts heading into this one, and with Lille throwing up some inconsistent results lately, we at SportsCasting agree with the bookmakers and see the hosts edging out this encounter.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Lille
