Les Dogues of Lille arrive at Anfield with a bite worse than their bark

Impressive Lille come to Anfield tonight on the back of an unbeaten 21-match run.

Tue, 21 Jan, 2025 - 06:06

Ben McAleer

Liverpool sit top of the Champions League with a 100% record after their opening six games. The Reds have been unstoppable in Europe’s elite club competition, scoring 13 times and conceding just once. Continental heavyweights AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid have all fallen by the wayside in Liverpool’s march to the knockout stages.

With a six-point gap to the playoffs, it would take a miracle for Arne Slot’s side not to automatically progress to the next round of the Champions League. Might the unstoppable force falter against an immovable object at Anfield tonight, however? Liverpool welcome Lille to Merseyside and the Ligue 1 outfit are not to be underestimated.

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have each been defeated by Bruno Genesio’s team in the Champions League this season. This is the same Real Madrid that currently tops La Liga. This is the same Atletico Madrid that recently saw a 15-game winning streak come to an end. A 2-1 win over Nice on Friday night extended Lille’s unbeaten streak to 21 games. They haven’t lost a competitive match since 2-0 defeat to Sporting in mid-September.

While they’ve not been rampant across all competitions – they’ve drawn nine times across those 21 matches, including stalemates with relegation candidates Montpellier and Nantes – Les Dogues have proven time and time again that their bite is worse than their bark. The foundation to Genesio’s side is their impressive defence. Only PSG (16) have conceded fewer goals than Lille (17) in Ligue this season, though they have shipped seven times in the Champions League. Nevertheless, they haven’t struggled to transition from league to continental duties in the same manner as compatriots PSG.

In Genesio’s favoured 4-2-3-1 setup, the impressive Lucas Chevalier shines between the sticks, protected by imperious pair Bafode Diakite and Alexsandro Ribeiro. When Leny Yoro departed for Manchester United last summer, Lille needn’t have feared a drop-off in quality at the back. Even with promising right-back Tiago Santos out for the season, the level has remained consistent as Thomas Meunier and Aissa Mandi share the burden.

Further forward, the experienced Benjamin Andre is the ball-winning machine to anchor midfield and no matter who the 34-year-old is partnered with – Andre Gomes in the league or teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi in Europe – this grants the attacking trio the freedom to support Jonathan David. The Canada international will see Anfield as another chance to prove his worth to potential suitors.

David’s current deal expires in the summer, and he is free to negotiate a pre-contract with overseas sides. Make his mark at Anfield and Premier League teams already keen on his services will be scrambling.

The 25-year-old striker isn’t the only Lille player that should be of interest to English sides. A number of former Lille stars currently ply their trade in the Premier League, including Sven Botman, Gabriel, Amadou Onana, and Carlos Baleba. The Pierre Mauroy Stadium is a solid stepping stone. Angel Gomes, formerly of Manchester United, is another linked with a return to England, while Chevalier, Ribeiro and Hakon Haraldsson would slot in well to the Premier League.

This side will come to Merseyside with an eye on more than frustrating the Reds. Liverpool don’t exactly dominate the ball in the Champions League, returning a 55.4% possession average. By contrast, Lille have the third highest possession average (57.8%) in Ligue 1 as they look to control proceedings. However, they are able to adapt their gameplan to hurt opponents, evident in that they also rank third for possession won in the attacking third (93) in 2024/25. Once they lose the ball, they have shown the relevant intent on winning it back, and in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Crucially, they remain compact to not only frustrate the opposition, but are then able to spring forward once they win the ball. It’s no shock they rank fifth for goals scored as a result of a counter-attack (4) in France’s top tier this term. The loss of Paulo Fonseca over the summer, the Portuguese boss departing for AC Milan, could have destabilised Lille, but Genesio has not only steadied the ship; he’s implemented a gameplan that means LOSC are able to dominate the ball, and have the smarts to press when a chance presents itself. They won’t go gung-ho like Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou or relentlessly hound an opponent as Liverpool did with Jurgen Klopp at the helm.

The disciplined defensive structure grants the forward players the licence to do damage in the final third but without the real risk of being overrun. Lille are conceding the third fewest shots per game (9.7) in Ligue 1 under Genesio. Against a Liverpool side that does at times favour control with bursts of attacking intent under Slot, this promises to be one of the more intriguing affairs in the penultimate Champions League gameweek. If any side can end Liverpool’s 100% European record, then it’s this unbeaten Lille team.