Chelsea finished second in Group H behind Juventus and could have faced the likes of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, but their prospects of retaining the trophy they won last May were boosted when they drew Lille, who are struggling in 11th in Ligue 1 this season.
But manager Thomas Tuchel expects a tough challenge and is not planning to rest players with Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool in mind.
“It is the moment to be super focused and not worry about the big picture because that would make us look at a lot of different pictures and environments,” said the German.
“In terms of team management, we don’t think ahead. We bring the best group for the game and then we will take care of Sunday’s match.”
What kind of threat do Lille pose?
Lille were one of European football’s surprise packages last season when they upset the odds to win the Ligue 1 title, breaking Paris St-Germain’s domestic dominance in France.
They won the league by a point, their first triumph in a decade. Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz was their main attacking threat, scoring 16 goals under the shrewd management of Christophe Galtier.
But Galtier left for Nice in the summer and Lille, who also lost a number of regular starters following their title triumph, have struggled to replicate last season’s feats this time around under new manager Jocelyn Gourvennec.
They are in the bottom half of Ligue 1 and have lost two and drawn one of their past four top-flight matches.
Yilmaz has been much less prolific and has yet to score in 2022, so Lille will look to Canada forward Jonathan David as their main scoring threat.
The 22-year-old has 12 goals this season and has scored in each of his side’s past three Champions League games, ensuring they put their domestic troubles aside to emerge as winners of a group also featuring Salzburg, Sevilla and Wolfsburg.
“We are competitors so we will not be going there just to be Chelsea’s sparring partners, that’s for sure,” said Gourvennec, whose side have reached the last 16 of this competition for the first time in 15 years.
“They are a great team but there are always surprises in cup matches and we want to be the party poopers, as we have been since the beginning of this Champions League campaign.”
Speaking about Lille, former PSG boss Tuchel said: “The quality of the players and the coach [last season] 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.”
