Lille Vs. Borussia Dortmund Prediction: Les Dogues Prepares Surprises For Historical Prints

B enjamin Andre, Lille attack processor (photo; @losclive)

JAKARTA - Lille will face Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday, March 12 or Thursday morning WIB. After holding Dortmund 1-1 in the first leg, Lille had a golden opportunity to make history by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

The club nicknamed Les Dogues is showing outstanding performance in European competitions this season, especially when playing at home, Stade Pierre-Mauroy. They have won 10 of their last 12 home games in European competitions (D2), including a 6-1 win over Feyennoord and a 1-0 narrow win against defending champions Real Madrid in the group stage.

This home performance is the main factor that helped Lille finish seventh in the Champions League early standings this season with 16 points. Consistency at Stade Pierre-Mauroy also continued in Ligue 1, with a narrow 1-0 win over Montpellier last weekend thanks to Jonathan David's goal.

Despite armed with the advantage of playing at home, Lille had to break the draw trend against Dortmund. The first leg to end 1-1 in Germany was the third in a row in a meeting between the two teams.

Previously, they met in the 2001-02 UEFA Cup with a goalless draw in Germany and a 1-1 score in France, which saw Dortmund advance thanks to away goals.

Meanwhile, Dortmund faced great pressure to win after only drawing in the first leg. Karim Adeyemi's spectacular goal from a volley failed to give them a win, as Lille equalized through Hakon Arnar Haraldsson's goal.

Dortmund had a poor record of traveling to France, only winning twice from their last 11 visits (D2 L6). However, they could be a little confident given their 1-0 away win over Paris Saint-Germain last season in the knockout stages, which helped them reach the final before being defeated by Real Madrid.

Niko Kovac's side had a pretty good record in a two-legged match against the French club, with four wins from seven occasions. However, they also had a poor record when they drew at home in the first leg of the European competition, where they were knocked out in the last seven of eight, including against Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the 2015-16 Europa League (1-1 home, 3-4 away).

This condition got worse with a 1-0 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga last weekend, extending their winless streak to two games.

Lille

The hosts lost several key players in this match, where Edon Zhegrova, Tiago Santos, and Samuel Umtiti were absent due to injury. In addition, Osame Sahraoui is still doubtful after missing the last four games due to a hip injury.

Mitchel Bakker also suffered a tendon injury and had to be withdrawn against Montpellier, while Gabriel Gudmundsson was sidelined due to illness.

Meanwhile, Nabil Bentaleb could not be played because he was not included in the Champions League squad after returning to play in February after suffering a heart attack.

Coach Bruno Genesio is likely to keep most of the line-up who drew in the first leg, with the option to switch to a 4-3-2-1 formation to maximize their attack.

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund lost Danielqsson, who suffered a knee injury in the first leg and is expected to be out for several weeks. Felix Nmecha is also still absent due to a knee injury, while Carney Chukwuemeka is doubtful due to thigh problems.

Niko Kovac is unlikely to make many changes to his line-up. Serhou Guirassy, who is the top scorer of the Champions League this season with 10 goals, will again spearhead Dortmund's attack in this match.

Lille has an impressive home record, while Dortmund has a difficult history when they travel to France. With full support from their supporters and positive momentum, Lille has the opportunity to make history by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.

Lille (4-3-2-1):Chevalier; Meunier, Diakite, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Bouaddi, Andre, Mukau; Mbappe, David, Waldsson.

Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1):Cobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Bynoe-Gittens; Guirassy.

Prediction: Lille 2-1 Borussia Dortmun