Once considered one of the underdogs of this Champions League, everyone wanted to draw Lille in the group stage draw. After three matchdays, the Dogues are now inspiring fear. Bruno Genesio’s side have already claimed the scalps of Real Madrid (1-0) and Atlético Madrid (1-3). These results make Lille a team to avoid in the Champions League this season. Just hours before facing Juventus Turin, La Gazzetta dello Sport dedicated a significant article to Bruno Genesio on Monday, highlighting how he has never lost against Guardiola, Mourinho, Ancelotti, and Nagelsmann. This is proof that the French club is not being taken lightly across the Alps.
Juventus, under Thiago Motta, are still finding their feet and struggling to convince. They could be the perfect next victim for the northern French club. And for this Franco-Italian clash, we can expect a particularly lively encounter.
Extremely solid since the start of the season, Bruno Genesio’s Lille side has raised its level in the Champions League, especially on the pitch of Atlético Madrid and, above all, at home against Real Madrid, which remains the only defeat for the Merengue club in 37 matches. This puts Lille’s achievement into perspective. Comfortably mid-table in the Champions League, Bruno Genesio’s team has the opportunity to break into the top 10 with a victory against a Juventus side that is struggling and not winning enough (only one win in the last four matches). Defeated 1-0 by Stuttgart in their previous match, the team coached by Thiago Motta could well suffer a defeat by the same scoreline.
Among the various goalscorers in the Champions League this season, Jonathan David ranks fourth with 12 goals scored in all competitions. Having beaten both Real and Atlético Madrid in previous matches, the Canadian striker has scored three goals in three Champions League matches and could well add another against Juve. The odds of 3.10 are worth a punt, especially since David is also Lille’s penalty taker.
ith seven penalties won since the start of the season, Lille is one of the European teams that wins the most. And in this exercise, Jonathan David is incredibly efficient, having scored five goals from five attempts. Having already scored from the spot against both Madrid clubs, we can easily imagine the Lille number 9 continuing his incredible run against Juventus Turin, thanks in particular to the skill of Edon Zhegrova.
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