Tue Jan 21 19:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Liverpool Face Lille Aiming for Seventh Straight Champions League Win

**Liverpool, England** – Liverpool will look to extend their unbeaten Champions League run to seven games when they host Lille at Anfield on Tuesday. Manager Arne Slot confirmed that injured forwards Diogo Jota and Joe Gomez will remain sidelined, but expects both players to return within weeks, not months. Jota might even return slightly sooner than Gomez.

The victory over Brentford on Saturday, secured by Darwin Nunez’s second-half brace, left Slot with a wealth of attacking options. While Nunez’s performance fueled speculation about an extended starting role, Slot explained that he currently has four top-fit attackers, including Nunez, competing for starting positions. Federico Chiesa is also available but lacks match fitness, limiting his starting chances.

Meanwhile, defender Ibrahima Konate risks suspension for the next Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven if he receives a yellow card against Lille.

Lille, currently eighth in their league, arrive in Merseyside unbeaten in their last 21 matches. However, they will be without several injured players including Tiago Santos, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Edon Zhegrova, Samuel Umtiti, and Nabil Bentaleb. Andre Gomes, despite recently joining the club, is ineligible due to the Champions League registration deadline. Ethan Mbappe and Gabriel Gudmundsson traveled with the squad and could feature.

Lille manager Bruno Genesio outlined a pragmatic approach, emphasizing a balance between ambitious play and a focus on neutralizing Liverpool’s strengths. He dismissed any notion of dominating possession, prioritizing a strategic game plan to secure a positive result against the formidable Reds.

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