Lille vs. Dortmund: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Lille are hoping to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time in their history as they take on Borussia Dortmund.

• Date: 12/03/2025
• Kick-off time: 17:45
• Location: Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq

Lille are entering this game off the back of a 1-1 draw in Dortmund last week. This one always looked like a fairly even tie on paper but the Germans were considered the favourites for a variety of reasons, but that dynamic has flipped completely following the first leg of the tie and Lille are now the side most fancied to progress.

In what was a poor first half in terms of quality, Dortmund went 1-0 up thanks to an exquisite goal by Karim Adeyemi, but in a much improved second half, Lille were by far the more impressive of the two sides and equalised through Hákon Arnar Haraldsson just shy of 70 minutes in.

Coming into this game, they’ll take an immense amount of confidence from their second half performance and will be very confident about getting the job done in front of their own fans, where they’re a very dangerous outfit. Lille have won five and drawn one of their five home games in the Champions League this season, including a win over Real Madrid, which emphasises how hard this game will be for Borussia Dortmund. The French side are on the verge of history, and on current form, you’d back them to come out on top.

Borussia Dortmund come into this game with it all to do. It’s been a largely difficult season for the Bundesliga side that parted ways with manager Nuri Sahin following a poor run of form that saw them slide down the Bundesliga standings to a mid-table position.

Under Niko Kovac, Sahin’s replacement, Dortmund have improved, but they remain extremely inconsistent and still sit 10th in the league. Should Dortmund fail to finish in the top four, it would be a huge blow to the club in the form of a big financial setback, and would likely mean they need to let go of a number of players in the summer.

They almost certainly won’t win this competition, so the only benefit that a good Champions League run could provide would be to help spur them onto better form in the league. That needs start this week, as they head to France on the verge of elimination. A performance similar to last week’s will likely see them exit, so they’re going to have to be vastly improved.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed viewers on TNT Sports 4.

Lille Team News:

Lille are coming into this game with a fairly lengthy injury list, with Edon Zhegrova, Mitchel Bakker, Samuel Umtiti, Ethan Mbappe, Osame Sahraoui and Tiago Santos all out injured.

Predicted lineup: Chevalier; Meunier, Diakite, Alexsandro, Ismaily; Andre, Bouaddi; Fernandez-Pardo, Mukau, Haroldsson; David.

Borussia Dortmund Team News:

Carney Chukwuemeka is a major doubt for Dortmund, while Daniel Svensson, Felix Nmecha, Filippo Mane and Marcel Lotka are all on the sidelines with injuries.

Predicted lineup: Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Groß; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy.

Lille:

Lille are in good shape heading into this one, with three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five. At the weekend, a goal from Davies gave them a 1-0 win over Montpellier, which followed the draw with Dortmund last week.

Before that, Lille were hammered 4-1 by PSG, a result that came after a 2-1 win over Monaco - thanks to a brace from Haraldsson - and a 2-0 win at Rennes, with the goals coming from Bentaleb and Akpom.

Borussia Dortmund:

Dortmund's form is much less convincing, with the Bundesliga club winning two, drawing two and losing one of their last five. Last time out, Dortmund lost 0-1 at home to Augsburg, a result that was preceded by last week's draw in Lille and a 2-0 win at St. Pauli, where Guirassy and Adeyemi scored the goals.

Prior to that, Dortmund beat Union Berlin 6-0 courtesy of goal from Guirassy (X4) and a late goal from Beier, while was preceded by a 0-0 draw with Sporting CP.

Lille are in much better shape than Dortmund coming into this game, with the German outfit amidst what is verging on a disaster of a campaign. The pressure is really on Dortmund here, while Lille, backed by their piercing home crowd, will be exceptionally tough opponents.

With Lille having won five and drawn one of their five home games in the Champions League this season, we think they'll get the job done here. Lille 2-1 Borussia Dortmund.

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