The Champions League Rivals and Chelsea's Road to the Final!
Even the ostensible safety net of seedings does not always work in a club's favor, as clubs underperform in the group stages. Chelsea fans breathed a sigh of relief when the result was announced last week. There were certainly tougher clubs that could have been drawn from the hat, but the club and its supporters would be foolish to be looking ahead to the next stage. LOSC isn't going to be as easy as some people think.
The Champions League Rivals and Chelsea's Road to the Final
Other factors will undoubtedly come into play as well. There's no doubt that fixture congestion will rear its head, but it'll have to be managed as it always is at this time of year. Chelsea's form has dipped at the worst possible time, but if there are postponements, it may help the club get back to where they were at the start of the season, but it will also push the whole fixture congestion can down the road for the Champions League's later stages.
Difficult opponents
Prior to their incredible season last year, few people outside of France had heard of LOSC. In terms of the title race, Ligue 1 had become almost meaningless, with PSG competing against Celtic and Bayern Munich to see who could win their domestic title the earliest in the year. Last season, LOSC turned that on its head, winning by one point over the Qatari-owned team. Hey
For those who follow French football, that result did not come as a surprise. They had finished second two seasons prior, albeit 16 points behind PSG, and fourth the following season. Christophe Galtier was largely responsible for the turnaround of Lille's fortunes. From the time he took over the club in December 2017, when it appeared to be on the verge of relegation, he built a team capable of not only staying in Ligue 1, but also challenging for a place in the Champions League. Of course, they did all of that and more, eventually winning the championship. However, he resigned a few days later and relocated to Nice.
Blues for the new coach
Jocelyn Gourvennec, the new head coach, has found it difficult to pick up where Galtier left off. The team is currently in 11th place, 20 points behind Paris Saint-Germain. They also appeared to have a difficult time qualifying for the Champions League's last sixteen. LOSC started their campaign with a goalless draw at home to Wolfsburg, a loss in Salzburg, and another goalless draw at home to Sevilla in a group with Sevilla, Wolfsburg, and Salzburg. They earned a place in the draw by winning three straight games, scoring six goals and conceding just two, demonstrating that they are a tougher test for Tuchel's side than many would expect.
Bildbyrån
Lille does not have any world-class, standout stars on paper. Jonathan David and Burak Ylmaz, from Canada and Turkey, respectively, make up their forward line and have scored the vast majority of their Champions League goals. Sven Botman of the Netherlands, forward Timothy Weah, and midfielder Renato Sanches are the other players to watch.
The club, which is based in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France, not far from the Belgian border, has resurrected their fortunes, going 10 games unbeaten in all competitions at the time of writing, with their most recent defeat a narrow 2 – 1 loss away to PSG. In cup competitions, momentum is everything, and the club will almost certainly be in better shape than Chelsea going into their match.
Another factor that could alter the football landscape for the two clubs is the January transfer window. Chelsea is the subject of numerous rumors, both inside and outside the club. The situation will be similar just across the English Channel, and we won't know how both clubs are doing until the first week of February.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0