Struggling Lille have no choice but to try and win this game after losing to both BATE and Valencia, whereas Bayern are in a similar position following the shock defeat in Belarus. The only difference is that les Dogues are also struggling on domestic stage, whereas the Bavarians have won all eight Bundesliga games this term.

Lille continue to underperform

Having done so well to become one of top French sides over the last decade, Lille were expected to continue the trend this season, even if they had stayed without Eden Hazard. The club management made some very good signings during the off season, while new stadium Grand Stade Lille Metropole was expected to provide a further boost for the club. However, les Dogues have started the season very slowly and are still unable to hit the ground running. While winning just 2 of 9 Ligue 1 games, Lille were even more disappointing in Europe, losing to both BATE Borisov and Valencia, and conceding five goals in the process. Taking into account major issues at the back, les Dogues cannot be expected to stop one of world’s best attacks from scoring, but their attack should look much better now that Marvin Martin and Salomon Kalou have recovered from injury. Lille have no choice but to attack their opponents from the off, which should guarantee us a very open game.

Idrissa Gueye remains doubtful, while Rio Mavuba is not yet ready to return. Mathieu Debuchy is suspended.

Another big win for Bayern

It’s been a while since Bayern last lost two Bundesliga titles in a row, so nobody was surprised to see the German giants splash the cash in the summer transfer window. While keeping hold of all key players, they added the likes of Javi Martinez, Dante, Mario Mandzukic, Xherdan Shaqiri and few others to their ranks, making sure the squad have enough quality and depth to challenge for honours. As a result, Bayern already appear to be cruising towards the league title, having won all eight Bundesliga games, but their Champions League campaign is not progressing according to plan. Following the 2-1 win over Valencia, the Bavarians were beaten by BATE Borisov, meaning they are now eager to make amends by beating Lille in France. Going into the game on the back of a 5-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf, Bayern players can be forgiven for feeling optimistic ahead of the trip to Lille.

David Alaba has returned into action following the lengthy spell on the sidelines, but Mario Gomez remains long-term casualty.

Verdict

Lille may be largely struggling at the back, but les Dogues have enough attacking quality to hurt their more illustrious opponents. Given that Bayern Munich are scoring goals for fun and that both sides are looking for a win here, betting on over 2.5 goals looks the right thing to do.

Our prediction: Over 2.5 goals

Odds: 1.88 (8/9)

Bookmaker: 188BET