Lille arrive at the Emirates with their Champions League campaign already demanding a response. Davide Ancelotti’s first European match as a head coach ended in a painful defeat to Real Betis, a match in which his side surrendered their advantage and lost Ethan Mbappé to a red card. The forward has since been handed a three-match UEFA ban, leaving Dilan Bakwa, fresh from scoring after a Nianzou assist, in contention to take his place against Arsenal.
For Ancelotti, who stepped away from his father Carlo’s coaching orbit to begin his own managerial career, the trip to north London is precisely the sort of occasion he wanted. Arsenal were unbeaten at home throughout last season’s Champions League, while Mikel Arteta’s side began this edition with a win away to Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
“We know we have to be perfect to beat Arsenal,” Ancelotti said before the match. The Emirates is also familiar territory. He first visited when Carlo Ancelotti managed Chelsea and later returned with Napoli, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. “I felt a little old when I arrived, even though I am not that old,” he said. “With all those visits, it feels a bit like home.”
Lille’s defensive platform faces its biggest test
The Betis setback has been the one blemish on an encouraging opening to Ancelotti’s Lille reign. The club are second in Ligue 1, one point behind Monaco, after four wins, one draw and only one defeat. It is Lille’s strongest start since the 2020-21 campaign under Christophe Galtier, when they went on to win the French title.
Ancelotti has built the team around restraint and defensive reliability, a familiar principle from the footballing education he received alongside his father. Lille have scored only nine league goals, but their four conceded is the division’s joint-best defensive record, shared with Lyon and Paris FC. That solidity will be central if they are to take anything from a stadium where Arsenal made themselves so difficult to dislodge in Europe last term.
There is experience available at the other end in Olivier Giroud, the veteran striker returning to his former club. Giroud made 254 appearances for Arsenal and scored 105 goals, including the scorpion-kick effort against Crystal Palace which won the 2017 Puskás Award. He was also once Arteta’s team-mate in north London.
“He was a great person to have in the dressing room,” Arteta said of Giroud. “When he arrived, he made a big impact.” Giroud, for his part, made no secret of the significance of the return: “I wanted to come back here.” He is likely to encounter Gabriel, another former Lille player, in Arsenal’s defence.
Gabriel has been among the pillars of an Arsenal side whose only defeat this season came in the heavy loss to Brighton before the international break. Otherwise, Arteta’s team have won every match, although the Arsenal manager believes their attacking work still requires refinement. “We are getting into good shooting positions; we just have to be more clinical,” he said.
The Brazilian centre-back has also addressed the missed penalty in the final against Paris Saint-Germain, insisting he would take responsibility again. “If I had another penalty, I would take it,” Gabriel said. “My team-mates supported me a lot afterwards. I was sad, but I learned from it.”
Arsenal’s need for sharper finishing and Lille’s need for defensive perfection give this match its shape. Arteta’s side seek to maintain an early Champions League advantage after Naples, while Ancelotti’s Lille must show that their domestic rise can withstand a far more severe European examination.
