UEFA Champions League: How to watch Lille vs Chelsea live on March 16, 2022

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

The Ligue 1 giants host the Blues for the 2nd leg of their round of 16 showdown amid the ongoing crisis at Stamford Bridge relating to the Roman Abramovich sanctions.

Preview

Never before has a UEFA Champions League knockout stage match been overshadowed by off-the-pitch controversies in a way that Chelsea's clash with Lille has. The Premier League giants are set to visit the French heavyweights on Wednesday for the 2nd leg of their round of 16 battle, with the Blues boasting a 2-0 lead, but all that's being discussed is the visitors' ongoing crisis.

The first leg took place prior to the havoc brought on by the recent Roman Abramovich sanctions. Tuchel's men welcomed France's defending champions to Stamford Bridge three weeks ago, putting in another professional display to get one foot into the quarterfinals.

Both Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner were benched for that game, yet Chelsea had no problem scoring, getting two past the Ligue 1 outfit without reply. Kai Havertz broke the deadlock early on in that tie, scoring after only eight minutes, with USMNT star Christian Pulisic later doubling their lead shortly after the hour mark.

However, since then, club owner Roman Abramovich has been slapped with sanctions by both the UK government and the EU over alleged ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin as a result of the war in Ukraine. This has put the Premier League giants in a limbo as the oligarch's assets were frozen. While Chelsea were issued a special license that permits them to continue playing and running their day-to-day operations, the club are unable to generate revenue for the meanwhile and have been slapped with a huge spending cap.

In fact, there were claims that the Lille clash might not go through due to the involvement of the EU, which France are a part of, but this does not appear to be the case anymore. Despite the distractions, the champions have maintained their winning streak, albeit with a few shaky performances here and there, triumphing in all of their last four outings.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the opposition. While Lille's form has not been atrocious, it has not been impeccable as well, with the home side entering this clash on the back of a disappointing goalless draw with St-Etienne amid a heated race to qualify for Europe.

The French heavyweights are sixth in the league, which would mean a season without European football if they fail to climb up the table. However, the defending Ligue 1 champions aren't far off second-placed Marseille, with only seven points separating the two clubs.

Nonetheless, a UEFA Champions League berth for next season seems unrealistic for Jocelyn Gourvennec's side. All Jonathan David and Co. should focus on between now and the end of the campaign is improving and picking up as many points as possible.

However, with their Canadian talisman forward scoring only once in his last six top-flight games, the odds are stacked against Les Dogues. Can the home side pull off a remarkable comeback against the champions of the world? Tune in to find out that answer.

Team news

Lille: Benjamin Andre should return for the host, having recovered from illness, but Lille have unfortunately lost Renato Sanches to yet another hamstring injury. There are no other concerns for the French side, meaning the only real dilemma is whether to start Burak Yilmaz alongside David as the hosts chase a comeback.

Chelsea: Azpilicueta is expected back but Reece James and Hudson-Odoi are unlikely to recover from their injuries in time for this game, while Ben Chilwell remains sidelined for the foreseeable future. Thiago Silva should make a return while Lukaku and Werner will be pushing for a start alongside the in-form Havertz.

Key stats

Lille have lost their last three UEFA Champions League encounters with Chelsea, including two group stage defeats in 2019/20.
The Blues have won their last two away games versus French opponents in this competition but had triumphed only once in the eight trips prior to that.
Thomas Tuchel is one victory away from setting a UEFA Champions League record as he has triumphed 31 times in his first 49 games. This means he could overtake Zidane (31 in half a century) as the manager with the most wins in his first 50 games in this tournament.
Les Dogues have not lost more than three times against a single opponent in this competition, meaning Chelsea could smash that record if they triumph over the Ligue 1 giants on Wednesday (currently tied with Man United and Valencia).