The Round 8 match of the group stage of the 2025/26 Europa League between Lille and Freiburg will take place on 29 January at Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq. Lille vs Freiburg: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Lille
Lille lost 1:2 away to Celta in the previous round. It was the team's fourth defeat in five recent Europa League matches (one win). At the same time, Lille conceded more than one goal for the first time in their last four matches in this competition. Lille have 9 points and sit in 21st place in the standings. The club can no longer reach the top eight without winning the upcoming game; victory would guarantee a place in the play-offs, while dropping points could result in elimination from the tournament.
- Lille failed to score more than once in 5 of their last 6 Europa League games.
- At home the team has avoided defeat in 6 of their previous 8 Europa League matches (3 wins, 3 draws).
- Both teams scored in 7 of the club's last 8 home matches in this competition.
Potential Lille Lineup (4-5-1)*
Berke Ozer – Romain Perraud, Alessandro, Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy – Marius Bruholm, Nabil Bentaleb, Ngalayel Mukau, Haukon Haraldsson, Felix Correia – Olivier Giroud.
Forwards Osame Sahraoui and Hamza Igaman, midfielders Nabil Bentaleb and Andre Gomes, and defenders Thomas Meunier and Ousmane Toure are out with injuries.
Freiburg
Freiburg remain unbeaten in the current edition of the competition. Although in the previous round the team only narrowly beat a rotated Maccabi Tel Aviv 1:0. Freiburg registered their fifth win in the Europa League group stage (two draws), and the club kept a clean sheet in three consecutive matches. In total the visitors have recorded four shutouts, with only Braga and Lyon having a better figure (five clean sheets each). The club sit third in the standings, and one point would guarantee a top-eight finish. A defeat would also be acceptable if Porto and Betis drop points.
- No more than three goals were scored in 6 of Freiburg's last 7 Europa League matches.
- Away from home the team failed to win in 5 of their last 6 Europa League matches (3 draws, 2 defeats).
- The club conceded in 8 of their previous 10 away games in this competition.
Potential Freiburg Lineup (4-5-1)*
Noah Atubolu – Maximilian Rosenfelder, Christian Gunter, Matthias Ginter, Philipp Troj – Patrick Osterhage, Maximilian Eggestein, Yuito Suzuki, Jan-Niklas Beste, Derry Scherhant – Igor Matanovic.
Defenders Maximilian Rosenfelder, Lukas Kubler, Philipp Linhart, forward Lucas Hoeller and midfielder Daniel-Kofi Kyere are out injured.
Referee
Damian Sylwestrzak (Poland)
Matches – 11 (International matches, 2025/26);
Yellow/Second Yellow Cards Shown – 46;
Average Yellow Cards Per Match – 4.2;
Red Cards Shown – 1;
Fouls Per Match – 26;
Penalties – 55%.
Lille vs Freiburg: Match Prediction
Lille must win the final round if they do not want to rely on the results of the parallel fixtures. But that will be far from easy. Lille lost 4 of their last 5 Europa League matches, and the upcoming opponent is among the top three teams in the competition. Lille cannot collect three points without scoring, yet the club's attacking output is inconsistent: 7 of their 11 goals came in two matches, one of which was against Dinamo Zagreb, a team that has conceded more than any of the first 24 sides.
A draw will be enough for Freiburg. It is unlikely the visitors will force the game, and with their reliable defense they have a good chance of getting the desired result. Freiburg have conceded only three goals, a figure bettered by no one. Moreover, the team have kept their goal intact for three straight Europa League matches. It is worth adding that the club failed to score more than once in 5 of their last 6 away matches in this competition.
Prediction: Under 2.5 goals
* The starting lineup shown for each team is from their previous match in this competition.
