Liverpool vs LOSC Lille: preview, team news, how to watch and prediction

Jurgen Klopp became Liverpool’s manager back in 2015 during a difficult time but he guided the Reds to win every major competition before leaving the club at the end of last campaign.

The German boss’ decision to leave the Merseyside club came as a big shock when he announced it midway through the last campaign.

There were even concerns about whether they would be able to remain at the top under the new manager. Manchester United can be taken as an example as they have been struggling over the last decade following the departure of their legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Following intensive scrutiny, the Reds decided to hire Arne Slot as the new manager ahead of this season and thankfully, they have enjoyed a stellar first half of this season under his guidance.

They are at the top of the Premier League table with 46 points from 19 games, sitting six points ahead of second-placed Arsenal with a game in hand.

Moreover, they have won all six games in the Champions League and are the only club to achieve this feat this season. They have reached the semi-final of the EFL Cup and will commence their FA Cup campaign next weekend.

Slot’s side lost the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final versus Tottenham Hotspur and they’ll have to turn the game around in the second leg at Anfield to keep their hopes of defending this competition.

Now, they will welcome French side LOSC Lille at Anfield in the Champions League on 21st January. They will have to avoid defeat in this game to qualify for the round of 16 of this competition automatically. Considering the form they have showcased in this tournament thus far this season, they shouldn’t have any problem doing that.

On the other hand, Lille have been in fine form in Europe’s elite club competition thus far this season, sitting eighth in the table with 13 points from six games.

Les Dogues have already defeated both Madrid clubs in this fixture and will now be hoping to beat the Merseyside club but doing that at Anfield will be an extremely daunting task.

Previous meetings

These two sides haven’t met in any competition in recent years. The last time they faced each other was back in 2010 in the pre-quarter final of the Europa League – where the Reds won the first leg 3-0 but Lille won the second leg 1-0. So, Liverpool progressed through to the next round on aggregate.

How to watch

The game will kick off at 8 PM UK time and the match will be televised live on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Fans can buy Liverpool vs Lille tickets through the official club website or via trusted resellers such as Seatsnet.

Team news

At the time of writing, after picking up a hamstring issue against West Ham United, Joe Gomez has been out injured in recent days and could remain sidelined for this game as well. Moreover, Jarell Quansah sustained an issue versus Tottenham Hotspur and may also be unavailable for selection for this encounter.

As for Lille, they have a few injury problems at the moment as Tiago Santos, Ethan Mbappe, Edon Zhegrova, Samuel Umtiti, Matías Fernández and Nabil Bentaleb have all been sidelined with their respective problems.

Predicted line-ups

Slot has been using the 4-2-3-1 formation at Anfield and usually doesn’t make many changes to his starting line-up. So, Alisson Becker should keep hold of his place between the sticks and in that case, Caoimhin Kelleher will have to make do with a place on the bench.

Virgil van Dijk is likely to be paired up with Ibrahima Konate in the centre-back position. Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to be in the right-back position and Andy Robertson may be on the opposite side, therefore, Conor Bradley and Konstantinos Tsimikas could get involved as substitutes if needed.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have been the preferred midfield pairing for the Dutch boss and the duo are likely to start once again in this fixture. Dominik Szoboszlai could be in the attacking midfield position so Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott would be among the substitutes.

Mohamed Salah is set to be in the right flank, while Luis Diaz should be on the opposite side with Diogo Jota in the centre-forward position. So, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo may feature off the bench.

Expected Liverpool line-up vs Lille

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Diaz, Jota, Salah

Lille boss Bruno Genesio has also been using the 4-2-3-1 formation. Lucas Chevalier should be in goal and in front of him, Aissa Mandi, Bafode Diakite, Alexsandro Ribeiro and Gabriel Gudmundsson should be the back four for the visitors.

Benjamin Andre and Ngal’ayel Mukau could be the midfield pairing with Hakon Arnar Haraldsson in the attacking midfield position.

Remy Cabella may commence in one of the flanks, while Osame Sahraoui is likely to be on the opposite side, starting Jonathan David in the centre-forward position.

Expected Lille line-up vs Liverpool

Chevalier; Mandi, Diakite, Ribeiro, Gudmunsson; Andre, Mukau, Haraldsson; Cabella, Sahraoui, David

Key players

Salah has been in the form of his life this season so the visitors will have to find a way to keep him quiet to come away with a positive result from this encounter.

Diaz is another key forward player for Liverpool, therefore, if he can perform at his best then Liverpool’s job will become easier.

As for Lille, David has been their talismanic figure and has scored against both Madrid clubs. He is set to leave the French club as a free agent at the end of this season so he has been on trial to earn a move to the top team. Therefore, if he can impress in this encounter then his chances of getting a top move will multiply.

Prediction

Liverpool lost only one game this season before the defeat versus Spurs. Apart from that, they have been excellent home and away thus far.

But, the concerning part for the Merseyside club is that they have been leaking goals in recent times having looked solid in the first few months of this season. So, they need to solidify their defence to continue the momentum in the second half of this season.

Therefore, Les Dogues will have to take advantage of that and if they can stay solid defensively then who knows they may conjure up something. A victory in this encounter will help the visitors to move ever closer to qualifying for the round of 16 by finishing in the top eight.

Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see how the game eventually unfolds on the night. Liverpool 3-1 Lille