Liverpool v Lille LIVE: Team news and line-ups as Darwin Nunez starts in Champions League | OneFootball

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Arne Slot happy to see Liverpool competing with Premier League big spenders

Liverpool face Lille at Anfield in the Champions League tonight, with the hosts looking to secure their place in the last 16 of the competition.

Arne Slot’s side have been the most impressive team in the competition so far – winning all six of their matches, including dominant wins over Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen – and need just one point to book their automatic place in the next round.

And they face a Lille side who have exceeded expectations so far in Europe, as they sit in eighth – the final automatic qualification place – having beaten Real Madrid and drawn to Juventus.

Bruno Genesio’s side will be desperate for three points as they hunt a place in the round of 16, with a home fixture against Feyenoord still to come for the French side.

Follow all the latest build-up and team news from Anfield below:

Match facts

Lille are undefeated in their last 21 matches – a new club record – with 12 wins and nine draws.

They have scored in all but one of their last 16 matches in all competitions, but have kept only two clean sheets in the last 10.

Liverpool have lost only one of their last 28 fixtures – at Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup earlier this month.

Chris Wilson21 January 2025 19:40

Arne Slot explains Liverpool's new problem: ‘All of them are in a low block’

Arne Slot believes it has become harder for Liverpool to score goals after they left it late to earn a stoppage-time 2-0 victory over Brentford.

The league-leaders, who had 37 shots on Saturday, needed Darwin Nunez’s late double to secure a precious three points in their bid for Premier League glory.

The hard-fought victory in west London came after successive draws to Manchester United and Nottingham Forest and Slot believes the defensive set-up of opponents has made it increasingly difficult for his side to find the net.

Slot explains Liverpool's new problem: ‘All of them are in a low block’

The hard-fought victory in west London came after successive draws to Manchester United and Nottingham Forest

Chris Wilson21 January 2025 19:30

How Liverpool’s squad was expertly built – and why Arne Slot is now reaping the rewards

After the 22-second goal came the 26-minute strike. Arne Slot provided the definition of both an impact substitute and an instant impact when Diogo Jota scored at Nottingham Forest, with his first touch, 22 seconds after he and his provider, Kostas Tsimikas, entered proceedings. Four days later, Darwin Nunez broke the deadlock 26 minutes after his own introduction. His second goal, two minutes later, was assisted by another replacement, Harvey Elliott, 13 minutes into his cameo against Brentford.

“It's so nice for me, for us as a team, that I have players that can impact the game on the bench as well,” reflected Slot. As Liverpool resume their Champions League campaign, top of the table and with the only 100 percent record in the competition, two of their outstanding performances in the competition came from men likely to begin on the bench against Lille on Tuesday. When Real Madrid were beaten 2-0, Caoimhin Kelleher saved Kylian Mbappe’s penalty. And if the goalkeeper was not the man of the match, it is because Conor Bradley produced a barnstorming display.

Richard Jolly21 January 2025 19:10

Team news

The starting line-ups should be announced in the next five minutes, so here’s a reminder of the early team news.

Joe Gomez is Liverpool’s only long-term absentee, though Diogo Jota is a doubt having missed the win at Brentford with a niggle. Some rotation can be expected as Arne Slot continues to balance efforts domestic and continental.

Lille are currently without defensive pair Tiago Santos and Samuel Umtiti.