Lille vs Real Betis Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2026-27 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
by Alex Lawes ·
Updated
Lille return to the UEFA Champions League with a clash against returning Spanish outfit Real Betis at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Northern France.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – Not televised
How to watch online: UK – HBO Max / USA – Paramount+
Lille preview: Large expectations for Lille
After the departure of Bruno Genesio to Olympique de Marseille over the summer, Lille took a gamble on Davide Ancelotti, the son of Carlo Ancelotti, in the dugout. The Italian has enjoyed a strong start to life at Lille.
Victories against Angers and Toulouse, both with clean sheets and away from home, sandwiched a strong performance against Paris Saint-Germain, in which they were 2-0 up going into stoppage-time but were pegged back to a 2-2 draw by the Parisians.
Real Betis preview: Strong start for Betis
Manuel Pellegrini remains in charge of Real Betis for a seventh season in Andalusia and the Chilean led Betis to a first UEFA Champions League qualification during his tenure and the first for the club since the 2005-06 campaign.
Betis have begun their season strongly in La Liga, with three victories from four matches and the third of those being a dramatic 1-0 defeat of Real Madrid at La Cartuja, courtesy of a Troy Parrott winner before Carlos Espi’s controversially disallowed goal and a Kylian Mbappe penalty that was saved but perhaps should have been retaken.
Lille team news: Nothing fresh
Lille do not have any fresh injury absentees for this midweek, with former Rangers striker Hamza Igamane remaining their only injury issue – having been sidelined since last year.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Ozer; Santos, Ngoy, Alexsandro, Verdonk; Andre, Bentaleb; Mbappe, Haraldsson, Sahraoui; Giroud
Unavailable: Igamane (Injured)
Questionable:
Real Betis team news: A few doubts
Diego Llorente was forced off through injury the other day and so is now a doubt for this one with Abde Ez dealing with illness, Dani Ceballos not yet match fit and Giovani Lo Celso also a doubt.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Valles; Bellerin, Bartra, Natan, Garcia; Roca, Bernal; Antony, Isco, Fornals; Cucho
Unavailable: Conde (Injured), Ruibal (Injured)
Questionable: Llorente (Injured), Ceballos (Fitness), Lo Celso (Fitness), Abde Ez (Illness)
Lille vs Real Betis prediction
As was the case with home advantage against the two-time European champions PSG, Lille will likely get themselves on the front foot in front of their hostile home supporters. Betis, though, may well fancy their chances to strike on the counter-attack with Parrott, as well as Antony and potentially the returning Abde Ez. As a result, this should be quite a fun watch to for the neutral in which both teams scoring seems a decent bet.
Lille vs Real Betis Tip: Both teams to score
