Lille wants an improved Csaplar trap. Can he knock out a distracted Chelsea?

For the second time in its history, LOSC Lille is in the knockout stages of the Champions League. And it certainly doesn’t want to finish in the eighth round, even though it ran into last year’s winner, Chelsea. Can it reverse the unfavourable result?

Five times Lille have failed in the Champions League in the group stage. Only in the 2006/07 season did it reach the eighth round, where it crashed out after two 0-1 defeats to Manchester United. Thanks to last year’s Ligue 1 victory, they have a great opportunity. As the top seed, LOSC had a very playable group with Salzburg, Sevilla and Wolfsburg.

They managed to win their group, only to have last year’s winner Chelsea lurking in the draw for second place. In the first match at Stamford Bridge, Lille showed a very good performance, but they were not effective in offense and scored twice, so they were defeated 0:2.

However, they are certainly not folding their arms and will try to improve Csaplar’s trap, which now threatens Chelsea not after half-time but after half-time of the double-header.

The Blues don’t enter the rematch in the best of moods. The English government has slashed the club’s spending because of Russian owner Roman Abramovich, who is very close to Vladimir Putin, so the players are having trouble getting to games, as is the club with hosting matches. Although the players and coaches say they are all about football, they must be wondering what’s next for Chelsea.

And they have a tough opponent waiting for them in France who wants to attack at any cost.

“We played well in the first game, but we weren’t dangerous enough offensively. We need to be more cool in their half and press them into their own half, ” Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec urged his charges at a press conference.

“LOSC will play in a 4-4-2 formation, which is very offensive and aggressive. We have to be ready for it, but at the same time we have to believe in our ability. Lille played well at Stamford Bridge, they played with a setup that they have nothing to lose. It’s half-time, no game is decided at 2-0. In the second half, we have to give a perfect performance again,” said Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel at a press conference.

Source: UEFA