On Tuesday night, Lille will host Juventus at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in the fourth matchday of the Champions League group stage.
The Bianconeri currently sit 14th in the overall table after seeing their perfect start interrupted by a surprising defeat at the hands of Stuttgart. The Ligue 1 side is right behind the Old Lady in 15th place.
Ahead of tomorrow’s important contest, the official Juventus website has provided us with the most interesting stats and facts leading to the encounter.
First of all, it should be noted that this will be the maiden meeting between the two clubs in any official competition.
Moreover, Lille have a humble record against Serie A clubs, only winning one of their previous Champions League contests against Italian opposition, while drawing one and losing two. Their solitary victory was against Milan in December 2016.
Nevertheless, Juventus also have an abysmal record against French sides recently, only registering one win in their last four meetings with Ligue 1 clubs. They lost home and away against Paris Saint-Germain in their catastrophic group-stage run in the 2022/23 campaign.
Nine different Juventus players have made their Champions League debuts this season. Kenan Yildiz, Andrea Cambiaso, Nico Gonzalez, Douglas Luiz, Michele Di Gregorio, Nicolo Savona, Vasilije Adzic, Jonas Rouhi and Juan Cabal have all made their bow in Europe’s elite club competition this term. This is the highest number of Juventus UCL debutants since the 2012/13 season (eleven in that case)
Lille coach Bruno Genesio has truly been rotating his ranks in Europe this season. As the source notes, the French club has changed 10 players in their starting XI in the Champions League this season: no team has made more over the first three matches. Only RB Salzburg have made as many changes.
Finally, this will be a special occasion for Timothy Weah who rose to prominence during his time at Lille before signing for Juventus in 2023.
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