UEFA Champions League: How to watch Chelsea vs Lille live on February 22, 2022

Topics: TV Schedules, Chelsea, Lille, UEFA Champions League

The Blues host the Ligue 1 outfit in the first leg of their round of 16 showdown as Tuchel's men aim to secure a win at the Bridge.

Preview

The champions of Europe kick off their knockout stage campaign on Tuesday as Chelsea prepare to take on Lille in the first of two legs in the round of 16. Stamford Bridge will be the venue for this 3 p.m. ET clash as the continental giants look to put their Premier League woes to the side amid a tricky title defense.

After winning the UEFA Champions League last season, beating Man City 1-0 in the final, many tipped Tuchel's men to be the favorites for this year's English top-flight crown. Unfortunately, that did not occur as the Blues find themselves 13 points behind the Cityzens, albeit with a game in hand.

Their most recent outing was a trip to Crystal Palace, with the well-drilled Chelsea failing to impress in attack. While the London giants came away with a crucial 1-0 triumph thanks to a late Hakim Ziyech goal, the overall performance was one of concern.

However, outside of the Premier League, Mount and Co. have been nothing short of impressive. Yes, the Blues failed to win their group as a slip-up on the final day saw them surrender the no.1 spot to rivals Juventus. However, Tuchel's side suffered only one defeat and that came at the hands of the Italian giants.

Elsewhere, Chelsea are through to the FA Cup 5th round, where they will face Luton Town, and are through to Wembley in the Carabao Cup final. The next step for the title holders is to get one foot in the quarterfinals by beating Lille at Stamford Bridge.

The reigning champions in France have not endured the best of seasons. In Ligue 1, they sit in 11th, a whopping 23 points behind league leaders PSG, meaning their title defense is done and dusted.

In Europe, things got off to a horrible start for Les Dogues as their first three continental fixtures saw them pick up only two points. The final three games of the group stage not only secured them progression, but it also earned Gourvennec's side the no.1 spot as wins over Sevilla, Wolfsburgs, and RB Salzburg helped them top their group.

Nonetheless, Lille have tasted only two victories from their last seven outings, meaning form is not on their side. While Jonathan David has been outstanding this term, netting 16 times in 33 outings across all competitions, only time will tell whether the sensational Canadian can guide his team to a remarkable away triumph over Chelsea.

Team news

Chelsea: Both Mason Mount and Azpilicueta are doubts, meaning Tuchel might not want to risk those two this Tuesday. Hudson-Odoi is unlikely to feature while Ben Chilwell continues his recovery from his season-ending ACL injury. Reece James is not back from the sidelines just yet while Lukaku might make way for Werner in the no.9 role after the Belgian ace's disappointing display vs Crystal Palace.

Lille: Angel Gomes picked up a calf issue. Jose Fonte and Burak Yilmaz are one yellow card away from suspension while Renato Sanches could make his return to the lineup.

Key stats

This will be only the second encounter between these two clubs.
Chelsea and Lille met before in 2019/20 group stage campaign, with the Blues winning both home and away.
The London giants have lost only one of their last 10 home clashes with French clubs.
Les Dogues have won only once in the UEFA Champions League against English clubs (D2, L5).