Preview: Lille vs. Sturm Graz - prediction, team news, lineups
Aiming to book a place in the quarter-finals of a European competition for the first time, Lille will host Austrian outfit Sturm Graz at Decathlon Arena in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
· Sports MoleLes Dogues hold a three-goal advantage following an impressive display in the first leg, meaning that Die Schwoazn need to pull off a remarkable triumph in Northern France to progress into the last eight.
Match preview
Lille all but punched their ticket for the quarter-finals of the Conference League last Thursday at Merkur Arena in Austria, beating Sturm Graz 3-0 courtesy of a Jonathan David brace and a sensational curling effort from Kosovo international Edon Zhegrova in the closing 20 minutes.
Trailing only Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe in the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts, Canadian marksman David has netted eight goals in his last five matches across all competitions for Les Dogues, including a much-needed double in the important clash with Julien Stephan's Rennes on Sunday.
Strikes from Ludovic Blas and Arnaud Muinga allowed the visitors to race into a two-goal lead after just 20 minutes at Decathlon Arena, but Lille were able to force a share of the spoils in the final 10 minutes as 24-year-old David breached the net of Steve Mandanda on two occasions.
With Les Dogues well in the race for a Champions League spot in Ligue 1, manager Paulo Fonseca is once again attracting interest from clubs searching for managerial appointments in the summer, including fellow French side Marseille, who sacked Gennaro Gattuso earlier this year.
Lille are unbeaten in all seven of their Conference League matches since the group stage kicked off in September and have been victorious in four-straight European bouts at Decathlon Arena this term - scoring nine goals in the process - meaning that all signs point towards a comfortable Thursday night for the hosts.
After enjoying a seven-match unbeaten run between the start of February and the beginning of March, Sturm Graz have gone two games without a win for the first time since November, losing the first leg against Lille emphatically last week before drawing at Hartberg in the Austrian Bundesliga on Sunday.
Following the three-goal defeat against Les Dogues, Die Schwoazn manager Christian Ilzer was left in a philosophical mood, wondering how a club of Sturm's size and financial resources could compete with Fonseca's men, who have world-renowned talents such as Canada's David within their ranks.
No matter the result at Decathlon Arena on Thursday night, Sturm have already added to their humble European history in a positive manner this season, as 2023-24 represents only the second time the Austrian side have featured in springtime football on the continent this century, with the Graz-based club playing in the second group stage of the Champions League back in 2001.
With a three-goal deficit to overturn, Die Schwoazn will be reliant on goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros to guard the visitors' net in Northern France, with the Liverpool loanee impressing since making the switch to the Austrian Bundesliga in the middle of January.
Lille Europa Conference League form:
Lille form (all competitions):
Sturm Graz Europa Conference League form:
Sturm Graz form (all competitions):
Team News
With a crucial clash against second-placed Brest scheduled for Sunday in Ligue 1, Lille could field a weaker XI for Thursday's second leg, with the likes of Ayyoub Bouaddi and Remy Cabella candidates to start.
Attracting interest from AC Milan and Napoli as he approaches the end of his contract with Les Dogues, Yusuf Yazici could get the nod ahead of leading goalscorer David for this one.
Fonseca's men remain without the services of former Barcelona man Samuel Umtiti, with the World Cup winner still recovering from a knee injury sustained in early February.
Sturm Graz suffered a major injury blow in the defeat to Lille last week, with striker Manprit Sarkaria now sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a broken ankle.
Die Schwoazn are also unable to call on their first-choice goalkeeper for the rest of 2023-24 after Kjell Scherpen suffered a cruciate ligament injury in December.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Santos, Diakite, Yoro, Gudmundsson; Bouaddi, Cabella, Andre; Haraldsson, Zhegrova, David
Sturm Graz possible starting lineup:
Jaros; Gazibegovic, Affengruber, Wuthrich, Schnegg; Gorenc-Stankovic, Lavalee, Boving, Horvat, Kiteisvilli; Biereth
We say: Lille 2-0 Sturm Graz (Lille win 5-0 on aggregate)
Lille have one foot in the quarter-finals following the first leg but may also have one eye on Sunday's Ligue 1 clash with Brest, meaning that Les Dogues must warn against complacency on Thursday.
Sturm Graz will travel to Decathlon Arena in hope more than expectation for this second-leg contest, and we believe that the Austrians will quietly bow out of Europe in Northern France.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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