Lille welcomed Étoile Rouge Belgrade to the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Thursday evening for the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie, with the Serbian side fielding a starting XI of Magalhaes, Erakovic, Tebo Uchenna, Rodrigao, Seol, Händel, Krunic, Tiknizyan, Duarte, Enem and Lucic.
Approximately 1,500 Étoile Rouge Belgrade supporters made the journey to northern France for the match, according to reports.
Étoile Rouge Belgrade entered the contest with a notable disparity in attacking output, having scored only seven goals during the group stage – the fewest of any team still competing in the Europa League. However, they boasted one of the competition’s strongest defenses, conceding just six goals in eight matches and achieving four consecutive clean sheets to conclude the group phase.
Back in Serbia, the club, founded in 1945 and based in Belgrade, currently leads the Serbian SuperLiga, holding a one-point advantage over their historic rivals, Partizan Belgrade, after 23 matches, according to the club’s official website and verified by Wikipedia. The team, managed by Dejan Stanković, secured their place in the Europa League playoffs with four consecutive 1-0 victories.
The match also marked the first start for Lille’s Gaëtan Perrin, while veteran striker Olivier Giroud began the game on the bench. Lille’s starting lineup consisted of Ozer, Bouaddi, Ngoy, Mandi, Perraud, André, Mukau, Correia, Haraldsson, Perin, and Fernandez-Pardo.
This was a rematch of a November 6th fixture, where Étoile Rouge Belgrade defeated Lille 1-0 at home, with Marko Arnautovic converting a penalty.
Prior to the match, Étoile Rouge Belgrade announced the suspension of winger Nemanja Radonjic “until further notice” due to his conduct off the field. Radonjic previously played for Olympique de Marseille.
Lille manager Bruno Genesio defended his decision to start Giroud on the bench, stating the player “may necessitate to rediscover some freshness,” as reported by RMC Sport.
Lille is currently experiencing a hard run of form in Ligue 1, having gone six matches without a win (four defeats, two draws) and seeking to use the European competition as an opportunity to regain confidence ahead of a crucial period in their domestic season.
