Chelsea vs Lille preview

Team news, stats and prediction as Chelsea host Lille in the Champions League.

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Team news

Antonio Rudiger is ready to return from a groin problem for Chelsea's Champions League clash with Lille at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Fikayo Tomori has a minor hip complaint so will miss out, paving the way for fit-again Germany defender Rudiger to make his first appearance since September.

Olivier Giroud misses out again, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is still sidelined with his long-term heel issue.

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Swansea loanee Renato Sanches is expected to start for Lille, but former Chelsea forward Loic Remy may have to settle for a place on the bench.

Timothy Weah, the son of former Chelsea striker George Weah, is a long-term absentee with a leg injury.

Defender Adama Soumaoro is also set to miss out with a thigh problem while Reinildo faces a late test on an ankle injury.

State of play

Chelsea are still in contention for qualification from Group H along with Ajax and Valencia, who play each other in the final game.

Ajax are currently top of the table by two points and are in prime position to qualify. Chelsea will need to win against Lille to ensure their place in the knockout stages or a draw could also send them through if Valencia lose to Ajax.

Should Chelsea and Valencia finish on the same number of points, the Spanish side will make it to the last 16 with a superior head-to-head record.

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Opta stats

• Chelsea and Lille's only previous competitive meeting in any competition came in October of this season's Champions League, with the London club earning a 2-1 win.
• Chelsea have only lost one of their eight previous home games against French sides in the Champions League (W4 D3), although that was their last such fixture, a 1-2 loss to PSG in March 2016.
• Lille's only win in six away games at English sides across all European competitions came at Aston Villa in the Intertoto Cup in August 2002 (2-0) - they have failed to score in each of their other five such matches in England (D1 L4).
• If Chelsea qualify to the knockout stages following this game, Frank Lampard will be the first English manager to progress a team from the Champions League group stage - having taken charge of all six group games - since his uncle Harry Redknapp with Spurs in 2010-11.
• Lille have taken just one point in the Champions League this season (W0 D1 L4) - under the current group stage format, the only French side with fewer in a single campaign in the competition was Marseille in 2013-14 (0).
• Chelsea are winless in their last five Champions League games at Stamford Bridge (D4 L1); their longest run without a win in the competition on home soil.
• Chelsea have had eight different goalscorers in the Champions League this season - excluding own goals, no team have had more than the Blues coming into this final group stage matchday.
• Lille have scored with just 3.9 per cent of their shots in the Champions League this season (3/78). Coming into MD6, only Galatasaray (2.3 per cent) have posted a lower shot conversion rate in the competition this term.
• Willian has scored 10 goals for Chelsea in the Champions League, while a goal in this game would make him their outright fourth-highest scorer in the competition, behind Didier Drogba (36), Frank Lampard (23) and Nicolas Anelka (12).
• Victor Osimhen has netted two of Lille's three goals in the Champions League this season, although both games he has scored in have ended in defeat (1-2 vs Chelsea and 1-4 vs Valencia).

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Charlie Nicholas' prediction

Chelsea just need a win really. I see this being a bit like the Liverpool match [against Red Bull Salzburg]. You can end up forcing it and caught up in the emotions of it.

I think the young heads will be OK though and I see Chelsea getting there, but I don't see this happening until later on in the contest.

CHARLIE PREDICTS: 2-0 (11/2 with Sky Bet)

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