Lille welcome HNK Rijeka to the Stade Pierre-Mauro on Thursday evening as the two sides meet in the first leg of their Europa Conference League playoff.
The hosts claimed a 2-0 victory over Nantes in Ligue 1 last time out, while the visitors defeated NK Lokomotiva 2-1 to continue their strong start to the new campaign.
Match preview
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Despite dominating large spells of the game, Lille were forced to wait until the 66th minute to find the back of the net against Nantes last weekend, with star striker Jonathan David breaking the deadlock.
Following a red card for Brazilian centre-back Alexsandro, Adam Onuas came off the bench to double Lille's advantage and put the game beyond doubt in stoppage time.
That win followed a 1-1 draw with Nice on the opening weekend of the Ligue 1 season, meaning that Les Dogues remain unbeaten in 2023-24, having taken four points from a possible six so far.
It is also worth noting that Paulo Fonseca's side secured a series of positive results in pre-season, claiming three straight victories over Dunkerque, Cercle Brugge and Le Havre before holding Brentford to a goalless draw in London.
The 2020-21 Ligue 1 winners have played Champions League football in two of the past four seasons, but they are now battling for a place in Europe's tertiary club competition.
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Rijeka booked their place in Europa Conference League qualifying by finishing fourth in the Croatian 1. HNL last term, securing an 11th successive top-four finish in the process.
As a result, Sergej Jakirovic's men have already come through two qualifying rounds to reach the playoffs, although it is fair to say that Lille will be Rijeka's biggest test to date.
After notching a comprehensive 7-1 aggregate victory over Kosovan outfit Dukagjini in the second qualifying round, Rijeka saw off B36 Torshavn in the previous round, claiming a 5-1 aggregate win against the club from the Faroe Islands.
Thanks to last weekend's victory over NK Lokomotiva, they have now won seven of their eight matches across all competitions this season, scoring at least two goals on six occasions while keeping four clean sheets.
Consequently, Rijeka's Whites will be confident of overcoming Lille, but they will need to be at their very best in both legs if they are to advance.
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Team News
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Lille will have to make do without Samuel Umtiti and Tiago Djalo for the foreseeable future as the defensive duo continue to recover from injury.
Having scored 26 goals in 40 appearances last term, Jonathan David will continue to lead the line for the hosts, with former Newcastle United playmaker Remy Cabella offering attacking support to the lone striker.
Elsewhere, England Under-21 international Angel Gomes and Benjamin Andre are expected to operate in the engine room, allowing Edon Zhegrova and Hakon Arnar Haraldsson to get forward.
Rijeka, on the other hand, have reported no injury problems ahead of the first leg, while the recent arrival of ex-Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Pasalic has strengthened the squad.
If Sergej Jakirovic continues with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, Pasalic will likely be joined by Toni Fruk and Niko Jankovic behind 19-year-old Austrian striker Franjo Ivanovic, who recently arrived from Augsburg
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Santos, Diakite, Alexsandro, Ismaily; Gomes, Andre; Zhegrova, Cabella, Haraldsson; David
HNK Rijeka possible starting lineup:
Labrovic; Smolcic, Galesic, Radeljic, Goda; Selahi, Lepinjica; Pasalic, Fruk, Jankovic; Ivanovic
We say: Lille 3-1 HNK Rijeka
Although Rijeka have made an impressive start to the season - winning seven of their eight games in all competitions - Lille are expected to flex their Ligue 1 muscles and chalk up a sizeable first-leg lead on home soil.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Morris
