Lille take on the visitors Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of UEFA Champions League round of 1/8-finals. First leg result: 1-1. The match will be played on Wednesday, March 12th at Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Villeneuve d'Ascq).
Lille is fighting on two fronts. The "Dogs" went through a slump, but last season, Paulo Fonseca guided them back into the top four. However, on the flip side, they lost the race for a top-five finish to the sensational surprise package, Brest. Because of that, they had to start their Champions League campaign in the summer, going through qualification—this time under the guidance of Bruno Génésio. His tenure has had its ups and downs, and it's uncertain whether Lille can replicate last season’s domestic success. In European competition, they first eliminated Fenerbahçe and Slavia Prague in the qualifiers. Then, they secured five wins, including victories over Real Madrid and Atlético, collecting 16 points in the group stage. This allowed them to advance directly to the Round of 16, skipping the February playoff round. Currently, Lille is showing strong form at home, having won six of their last seven matches at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
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Borussia Dortmund under Edin Terzić left a bitter taste in 2023. They only needed to win their final Bundesliga match at home to reclaim the title but ended up drawing, allowing Bayern to snatch the Meisterschale on goal difference. In 2023/24, they lost the battle for fourth place to RB Leipzig. However, they did reach the Champions League final, though they ultimately fell to Real Madrid. This season, the club appointed former Dortmund player Nuri Şahin as head coach—but he struggled. Eventually, he was replaced by Niko Kovač in midwinter, who has been trying to stabilize the team. Interestingly, Şahin was sacked after a lifeless defeat to Bologna, even though Dortmund had been performing decently in the Champions League. They secured their knockout stage spot and, under Kovač, thrashed Sporting 3-0 in Lisbon before settling for a dull draw at home. Against Lille in Germany, they exchanged goals, making this away fixture a must-win scenario. However, Dortmund has struggled away from home recently, winning just one of their last six road games in all competitions.
The sides last met in the UEFA Cup in February 2002. Both games ended in draws (1-1 and 0-0), but Dortmund advanced due to the now-abolished away goals rule. The Germans are considered slight favorites here. However, that might be misleading—Lille has been impressive, especially at home, and backing them with a "0" Asian handicap looks like the best bet.
Prediction for the match: Lille to win with 0.0 handicap.
