Bologna vs LOSC Lille facts

Bologna have ground to make up in the UEFA Champions League as they welcome LOSC Lille, who have made a solid start to the league phase, on Matchday 5.

The Italian side's first Champions League game ended in a goalless draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk but Bologna have been unable to add to that tally, losing 2-0 at both Liverpool and Aston Villa and 0-1 at home to Monaco in their last fixture.

Lille have seven points, responding to a 2-0 opening defeat at Sporting CP with a 1-0 win at home to holders Real Madrid and a 3-1 success at Atlético de Madrid before a 1-1 home draw with Juventus.

This is the clubs' first meeting although both faced a team from their opponents' country on Matchday 4.

Form guide

Bologna

Record vs French clubs: W1 D2 L2 F4 A4
Home record vs French clubs: W1 D1 L1

Before losing to Monaco on Matchday 4, Bologna's four previous games against Ligue 1 opponents had all come in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup. Having beaten Lyon 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals (3-0 h, 0-2 a) they lost on away goals to Marseille in the next round (0-0 a, 1-1 h).

This is Bologna's first Champions League campaign. They are the 11th Italian side to appear in the competition proper and the first newcomers since Atalanta in 2019/20.

Their only previous European Cup campaign lasted a single tie, Bologna losing on a coin toss to Anderlecht in the 1964/65 preliminary round (0-1 a, 2-1 h, 0-0 play-off).

Bologna are one of five clubs to be making their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Brest, Aston Villa, Girona and Slovan Bratislava.

Bologna have not featured in European competition since losing a UEFA Intertoto Cup final to Fulham in August 2002 (2-2 h, 1-3 a).

Matchday 4 was the Italian side's first home defeat in UEFA competition; they have won 15 of their 25 fixtures.

Champions of Italy seven times – most recently in 1964 – Bologna were fifth in Serie A in 2023/24, setting a new club record of 68 points. It was their highest finish since 1966/67, when they were third.

Thiago Motta, in charge since September 2022, left for Juventus in the summer. Vincenzo Italiano, after guiding Fiorentina to the UEFA Europa Conference League final in each of the last two seasons, was named as his replacement.

LOSC Lille

Record vs Italian clubs: W6 D3 L4 F18 A9
Away record vs Italian clubs: W4 D0 L2

Before drawing with Juventus on Matchday 4, Lille's previous games against Italian opponents came in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League group stage, when they took four points off AC Milan (3-0 a, 1-1 h).

That victory in Milan ended a three-game losing streak against Serie A sides, LOSC having suffered only one defeat in their first seven matches (W5).

Lille won their first three matches in Italy – scoring five goals without conceding – but lost the next two before winning at Milan.

The last of Lille's seven Champions League group appearances came in 2021/22, when they won their section ahead of Salzburg, Sevilla and Wolfsburg but lost to holders Chelsea in the round of 16 (0-2 a, 1-2 h).

Those were their most recent games in the competition before this season's third qualifying round, when they beat Fenerbahçe 2-1 at home and drew 1-1 away after extra time. Lille also edged through a tight play-off against Slavia Praha (2-0 h, 1-2 a), Edon Zhegrova's late second-leg strike providing decisive.

LOSC took part in the Europa Conference League in 2023/24, eventually losing on penalties to Aston Villa in the quarter-finals (1-2 a, 2-1 h aet, 3-4 pens).

This season's win at Atlético was Lille's third in their last 11 away European games, losing four.

Les Dogues – who replaced coach Paulo Fonseca with Bruno Génésio in the summer – were fourth in Ligue 1 in 2023/24, their highest finish since claiming their fourth league title in 2020/21.

Links and trivia

Have played together:
Juan Miranda & Aïssa Mandi (Betis 2020/21)
Emil Holm & Mitchel Bakker (Atalanta 2023/24)
Thijs Dallinga & Gabriel Gudmundsson (Groningen 2019–21)
Dan Ndoye & Edon Zhegrova (Basel 2021/22)

Have played in Italy:
Mitchel Bakker (Atalanta 2023/24)
Vito Mannone (Atalanta youth 2003–05)

Have played in France:
Dan Ndoye (Nice 2020–21)
Thijs Dallinga (Toulouse 2022–24)

International team-mates:
Emil Holm & Gabriel Gudmundsson (Sweden)

Latest news

Bologna

On Sunday Bologna went down 3-0 at Lazio, all the goals coming in the final quarter of the game with the visitors playing for almost an hour with ten men after Tommaso Pobega's 35th-minute red card.

Bologna had made it three successive Serie A wins with a 3-2 success at Roma on 10 November – the first time they had scored three goals in a game this season.

Riccardo Orsolini had scored in four Serie A games in a row before drawing a blank on Sunday.

Goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski sat out the weekend loss due to flu.

Dan Ndoye suffered a left leg injury against Roma after colliding with a post and missed Sunday's defeat.

Michel Aebischer and Martin Erlić have not played since 15 October due to thigh injuries, although the latter was an unused substitute at Lazio.

Lewis Ferguson has signed a contract until 2028.

Lille

Lille are unbeaten in 11 games (W6 D5) since the 2-0 loss at Sporting CP on Matchday 1 – their fourth successive defeat.

Edon Zhegrova's first-half strike earned a 1-0 home win against Rennes on Sunday, the midfielder's first Ligue 1 goal since 21 September.

On 10 November Lille drew 2-2 at Nice, Matias Fernandez-Prado marking his first Ligue 1 start with his first goal.

Lucas Chevalier was called up to the France squad for the first time for the UEFA Nations League games against Israel and Italy, although he did not play.

Aïssa Mandi scored in Algeria's 5-1 CAF Africa Cup of Nations win against Liberia on 17 November, also equalling Islam Slimani’s national record of 102 caps.

Jonathan David scored his 31st goal for Canada in a 3-0 home win against Suriname in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals on 19 November, surpassing Cyle Larin to become his country's record scorer.

Hákon Arnar Haraldsson was a late substitute against Rennes, his first appearance since suffering a foot injury on 5 September.

Thomas Meunier has not played since suffering an adductor injury in a 1-1 draw against Lyon on 1 November, although he was an unused substitute on Sunday.

Ismaily has not played since undergoing knee surgery in August although he was on the bench in the last two games.

Tiago Santos faces several months on the sidelines after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training on 15 October.

Ethan Mbappé has been out with a thigh injury since 28 September.