Overview
Atletico Madrid went on a nine-match unbeaten run at the start of the season before falling to a shock 4-0 defeat to Benfica in the second leg of their Champions League group stage match. They then continued their poor form and were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad.
However, things have improved for coach Diego Simeone's side as they beat Leganes 3-1 in their most recent match. Atletico Madrid hope that this recent victory will be the motivation for them to get a positive result against Lille.
Despite starting the season with 4 consecutive defeats, Lille is still showing stability and progress when they are unbeaten in the last 5 matches (3 wins, 2 draws). In particular, the team at Pierre-Mauroy Stadium made a big splash when defeating Real Madrid in the second match of the Champions League group stage.
Coach Bruno Genesio currently has at his disposal a pair of extremely impressive strikers, David (8 goals) and Edon Zhergova (6 goals). Therefore, Lille is still very confident even though they have to play away against Atletico Madrid.
At the moment, despite their relatively inconsistent form, Atletico Madrid is still considered a better team than Lille. However, the French representative is also showing that they are not an easy opponent to bully and are ready to play fair with the "big guys".
This will be the first time Atletico Madrid and Lille have faced each other. Atletico Madrid's record against French clubs is impressive, with nine wins, five draws and just one loss. Lille, meanwhile, have a poor record against Spanish sides, winning just three of their 15 games.
Human resources situation
Atletico Madrid will be without three key defenders for this match as Robin Le Normand, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Llorente are all injured. Thomas Lemar could return after a long wait.
On the other side of the front line, Lille also had a number of players without injuries, including Ethan Mbappe and Tiago Santos. However, Benjamin Andre was able to play after suspension.
Expected lineup:
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Molina, Witsel, Gimenez, Galan, De Paul, Koke, Gallagher, Griezmann, Sorloth, Alvarez.
Lille: Chevalier, Meunier, Diakite, Alexsandro, Gudmundsson, Andre, Bouaddi, Zhegrova, Gomes, Cabella, David.
The match between Atletico Madrid and Lille takes place at 2:00 a.m. on October 24 (Vietnam time).
