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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jack Rosser

Chelsea FC XI vs Lille: No Lukaku - Starting lineup, confirmed team news & injury latest for Champions League

Chelsea will be considered clear favourites for their Champions League last-16 tie against Lille, though Thomas Tuchel has warned against underestimating their opponents.

The Ligue 1 champions lost their manager and a number of key players following their title win last season and are currently 11th in their domestic league.

Romelu Lukaku has been dropped to the bench by Thomas Tuchel ahead of tonight’s game.

Lille are big underdogs for the last-16 tie against Chelsea, the Champions League and Club World Cup winners, but Tuchel has warned that they can play with no fear.

"They had a fantastic coach and group of players," said Tuchel. "They are a very emotional club and it's difficult to play in their stadium.

"The quality of the players and the coach was exceptional and you felt they could fight for a chance in the Champions League. Last season they became French champions, which is huge.

"From there they have lost players and the coach and that is a huge change. If the change is so big it can take time for things to settle.

"We all know how physical French football is. Players are very brave in one-on-one challenges and very disciplined on the ball. They have the chance to play this game as underdogs with nothing to lose and they will take it from there.

"We respect the game and the opponent and we will prepare our team as we always do and try to find the best performance, which we usually do in knockout matches."

Chelsea predicted XI (3-4-3): Mendy, Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso, Ziyech, Havertz, Pulisic

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