Lille upset the establishment in Ligue 1 last season — breaking Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance by winning the French title.

They were the first club to do so since Monaco in 2017, with PSG having won the league seven times in the last nine years.

Lille finished one point ahead of the capital club last season after securing a 2-1 win at Angers on the final day of the campaign.

That meant they qualified directly for the Champions League group stage and were in pot one for the draw.

Lille's Champions League group

Group G: Lille, Sevilla, FC Salzburg, Wolfsburg

European history

Lille have appeared sporadically in the Champions League group stage in recent years — their best run coming in 2006-07, when they were knocked out in the last 16 by Manchester United.

They last won the league title in 2011 but finished bottom of their Champions League group in the subsequent season, before doing so again a year later.

Their last appearance came in 2019-20 after they had finished runners up in Ligue 1 but, once again, Lille finished fourth in a group containing Valencia, Chelsea and Ajax.

Les Dogues have gone as far as the last 16 in the Europa League on a handful of occasions but are yet to really make their mark in the continent’s premier competition.

Expectations

It will be a difficult season for Lille and few predict them to repeat last term’s triumph in the league, or even to mount a title challenge.

The prize money for winning games and progressing in the Champions League will be particularly useful to French clubs given the uncertainty around their domestic TV deals, so Lille could prioritise their European fixtures.

It will be a challenge regardless but they should at least aim to avoid finishing bottom of their group this time out after avoiding giants in their group.

Star man: Burak Yilmaz

Yilmaz, 36, was Lille’s top scorer last season with 16 goals and looks set to lead the line for them again in the new campaign.

He will be aiming to rebound from a disappointing summer at Euro 2020 with Turkey, in which they exited at the group stage despite lofty predictions pre-tournament.

The striker is already off the mark this season, having scored in Lille’s 2021-22 league opener — a 3-3 draw with Metz.

If he can find the net consistently in the Champions League, Lille could upset some of their more illustrious opponents over the coming months.

One to watch: Jonathan David

After a slow start following his move from Gent in the summer of 2020, the Canadian played a vital role in Lille’s Ligue 1 title win.

Having only scored twice in the first five months of the season, David went on to score 11 goals in 2021, going some way to fulfilling the potential he showed during his time in Belgium.

As with almost all of the talented young players plying their trade in France, the 21-year-old forward has attracted interest from Champions League regulars across the continent.

Should he continue his productivity in attacking positions, this could well be his last season at the club.

David will certainly relish the opportunity to make his mark at the highest level when the group stage gets underway.

The boss: Jocelyn Gourvennec

The departure of their title-winning manager Christophe Galtier to Nice this summer was a big blow to Lille and means the man who took them to the Champions League will not lead them in it.

Galtier has been replaced by new boss Gourvennec, who has never previously managed at Europe’s top table.

Gourvennec is perhaps best known for his Coupe de France win with Guingamp in 2014 and also coached fellow Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux from 2016-2018.

In Guingamp’s Europa League campaign following that cup win, Gourvennec managed to take them to the knockout stages where they were defeated in the round of 32 by Dynamo Kyiv.

He will be hoping to go even further in European competition with Lille this season.

All information correct as of 10am, September 3, 2021