Lille’s struggles to continue into Europe

A tale of two sides

The hosts come into this game looking to put their Ligue 1 woes behind them. The reigning champions of France’s topflight have got off to a terrible start, winning just one of their opening five games. Defeat to Lorient last time out sees Lille sit 12^th in the league, a far cry from last season’s heroics. The story for the visitors couldn’t be further from Lille’s struggles, as Wolfsburg have gotten off to their best league start since the 2014/15 season when they finished second in the Bundesliga. Manager Mark Van Bommel has overseen an incredible start to their league campaign, which sees them sit top with four wins from as many games.

Wolfsburg firing on all cylinders

These two teams make their return to Champions League football and set up what looks to be one of the most intriguing matches of this opening set of fixtures. Lille’s Champions League campaign last time out wasn’t the most successful, claiming just the single point and being dumped out in the group stages in the 2019/20 season. In fairness, their group consistent of table topping Valencia, Chelsea, and Ajax. The last time Wolfsburg made it to the Champions League was in the 2015/16 season where they had an impressive run to the quarterfinals. Their perfect start to their Bundesliga campaign should breed confidence in this hugely talented side, with their two strikers Wout Weghorst and Lukas Nmecha finding the back of the net on Saturday in their 2-0 win against Greuther Furth. However, balancing good league form and a winning Champions League record has often been the drawback of teams that are having their first experience of European football for a few years, so Wolfsburg will have to be careful further down the line to manage their squad the right way.

David’s return to be of little consolation

A tale of two very different starts in their domestic leagues, but the Champions League is always an opportunity to put right some poor league form. But I can’t see this being the game that Lille do that. Their issues run deeper than a quick midweek fix, and I can see them struggling again despite the impending return of frontman Jonathan David to the line-up. Defensively they’ve looked disorganised and amateurish so far and are in danger of falling further down the Ligue 1 table with some tricky fixtures to come.

The market for a Wolfsburg win here is a surprisingly good one, considering the two very different sets of form coming into this tie. While obviously being the away team puts them on the back foot, their confidence and excellent form so far should be enough to pick away at this plucky Lille outfit. That’s why I’m going with Wolfsburg to win with bet365.

Bet Wolfsburg to win on Bet365