Lille take on the visitors Brann in the round 1 match of UEFA Europa League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, September 25th at Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Villeneuve d'Ascq).
Lille have recently shown some solid performances, with their Ligue 1 title still standing out as the pinnacle of success. Last season the goals were more modest — finishing inside the top four — but in the end they fell just short. Missing out on Marseille by a single point and finishing behind Nice on head-to-head tiebreakers, they ended up fifth. This year, even after losing their top scorer David on a free transfer, they opened with a 3-3 draw against Brest before picking up wins. They narrowly edged Monaco 1-0, then produced a spectacular 7-1 thrashing of Lorient. After the international break, they beat Toulouse 2-1 at home. Most recently, they faced Lens in a tough northern derby. Lille’s attack looks sharp despite David’s departure, with multiple players contributing goals. Defensively, they still show vulnerabilities, but their momentum at home remains impressive.
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Brann are showing solid form. The Pride of Bergen have been Norwegian champions three times, most recently in 2007. At the same time, they endured setbacks, even spending 2022 in the second division. Since returning, they’ve twice finished runners-up, always behind the current powerhouse Bodo/Glimt. This year they again trail them and Viking, and it seems increasingly likely they’ll have to focus on securing third place in the Eliteserien, even with decent stats so far. Against Sandefjord they showed their strength, but in the Champions League qualifiers they fell at the first hurdle to Red Bull Salzburg. Later, however, in the Europa League they managed to eliminate both Hacken and AEK Larnaca. Brann’s squad has found consistency, with their attack often producing goals from multiple sources. Yet their away record against stronger European sides remains a concern heading into this clash.
Scandinavian sides rarely get the chance to go deep into European competitions, especially past the summer qualifiers. This will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs. The stronger team is playing at home. The bet is on Lille to win with a -1.0 goal handicap.
Prediction for the match: Lille to win with -1.0 handicap.
