Liverpool vs Lille tips and predictions: Goals at both ends on the menu at Anfield

Liverpool state of play 

For Liverpool fans, the mood was beginning to turn a little sour after their midweek draw with Nottingham Forest, a result that came after that EFL Cup semi-final (first leg) defeat to Tottenham. This was followed by the flat home draw against Manchester United. 

It looked as if there’d be more discontent among the Reds faithful, who watched their side huff, puff and very nearly fail to knock down the house of Brentford. But forward Darwin Nunez pounced not once, but twice late on, securing a much-needed three points for Arne Slot’s men. Normal service resumed?

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Having continued to keep themselves in command in the league, the focus now switches to the Champions League, where they’re also leading the way. 

Lille state of play 

Lille will be the ones to visit Anfield on Tuesday evening and like Liverpool, they too had a case of post-Christmas blues, drawing each of their first two league games after returning from Ligue 1’s festive break. 

Bruno Genesio’s boys stuttered to a Coupe de France win over Marseille last weekend, before improving to beat Nice in the league at the weekend, a win that should see them go to Merseyside with increased confidence.

Like the Reds, from a qualification point of view, the visitors are in a decent position, though the job isn’t done, flirting with the play-off places as opposed to the automatic spots, so they’ll be after a positive result. 

Key talking point: Can the hosts tighten up? 

We know what Tuesday’s hosts are capable of, especially in the final third, where they can be devastating, but they’ve wobbled at the back on several occasions in recent weeks, particularly on the break. Which doesn’t bode too well ahead of a game against a Lille forward line that can certainly be explosive.

In each of their last three league games at home, Slot’s men have failed to keep a clean sheet, conceding a chunky five goals during that time.

The visitors have thrived when playing on the road in this competition, notching twice away in Bologna, and three times when surprising a usually hard-break-down Atletico Madrid team on the break at the Metropolitano. 

Can Lille keep things tight at the back? A solitary clean sheet in six UCL games this season, while conceding in three out of three on the road, would suggest not. 

FIRST’s top tip for Liverpool vs Lille 

Both teams to score - 5/6 (Betway)

There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that both teams can find the net here, and I’m not quite sure that odds of 5/6 reflect that accurately enough, leaving me to conclude that such odds offer value for money. 

Extra tips

Lille to score over 1.5 goals - 7/2 (Matchbook)

We’ve seen this Lille team enjoy playing as the underdog away from home on the continent this season, showing no shortage of counter-attacking prowess. Factor in Liverpool’s recent defensive issues at home and odds of 7/2 look appealing. 

Team news 

The hosts will continue to be without Joe Gomez at the back, while Diogo Jota is also unlikely to feature having sustained a knock last week. 

For Lille, a few players remain sidelined, including Edon Zhegrova, though they have no fresh concerns, which is a plus. 

Liverpool vs Lille predicted line-ups

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Nunez (4-2-3-1)

Lille: Chevalier; Gudmundsson, Diakite, Alexsandro, Meunier; Andre, Mukau; Sahraoui, Bouaddi, Haraldsson; David (4-2-3-1)

Form guide (all competitions)

Liverpool: DWWWWDLWDW

Lille: WDDDWDWWDW

Odds correct at the time of writing.