Atlético de Madrid vs LOSC Lille facts

There are contrasting moods at Atlético de Madrid and LOSC Lille as the pair meet at the Estadio Metropolitano on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League.

After a 2-1 home win against Leipzig on Matchday 1, Atleti went down 4-0 at Benfica last time out – equalling their heaviest Champions League defeat. Lille were beaten 2-0 at Sporting CP in their fixture but responded in style, Jonathan David's first-half penalty (45+3) earning a 1-0 victory at home to holders, and Atleti's city rivals, Real Madrid.

This is the clubs' first fixture.

Form guide

Atlético de Madrid

Record vs French clubs: W9 D5 L1 F29 A16
Home record vs French clubs: W6 D1 L0

Atleti's last games against a French club came in the 2018/19 group stage, when they beat Monaco 2-1 away and 2-0 at home.

That made it four successive victories against Ligue 1 opponents, and seven games unbeaten (W5 D2) since a 4-2 loss at Lens in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup fourth round second leg that completed a 6-4 aggregate defeat. That remains their only loss against French opponents.

Atleti have scored 17 goals in their seven home games against French opponents, conceding seven.

Atlético are making their 15th appearance in the Champions League proper and a 12th in succession. They have featured every season since 2013/14.

Runners-up in 2014 and 2016, both against Real Madrid, Diego Simeone's side finished top of their section in 2023/24 and then ousted Inter Milan in the round of 16 (0-1 a, 2-1 h aet, 3-2 pens) before losing to eventual runners-up Borussia Dortmund in the last eight (2-1 h, 2-4 a).

Despite winning their last six home Champions League games, Atleti have managed only seven victories in their last 17 home European fixtures (D7 L3).

Atleti have progressed to the knockout rounds in nine of their last 11 Champions League campaigns, missing out only in 2017/18 – when they went on to win a third UEFA Europa League and a second under Simeone – and 2022/23, when they finished bottom of their section for the first time.

The Colchoneros were fourth in La Liga in 2023/24, their lowest league finish since 2011/12, when they were fifth.

LOSC Lille

Record vs Spanish clubs: W4 D6 L6 F11 A18
Away record vs Spanish clubs: W1 D1 L5

Lille's 1-0 win at home to Real Madrid on Matchday 2 made it three games unbeaten against Spanish sides (W2 D1) and one defeat in the last five (W2 D2).

LOSC drew 0-0 at home to Sevilla on Matchday 3 of the 2021/22 Champions League before a 2-1 victory in Spain, a result that ended an eight-game winless run against La Liga opponents (D3 L5).

The French club had lost five successive away games against Liga opponents before that win at Sevilla.

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 before losing 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. Bafodé Diakité's 91st-minute own goal in Istanbul took the tie into extra time, but a 118th-minute David penalty sent the French side through.

Lille also edged through a tight play-off against Slavia Praha, winning 2-0 in the home first leg and squeezing through despite a 2-1 loss in Czechia – Eren Zhegrova's 77th-minute strike providing decisive.

LOSC took part in the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023/24, winning their section unbeaten (W4 D2) and then getting the better of Sturm Graz in the round of 16 (3-0 a, 1-1 h) before losing on penalties to Aston Villa in the quarter-finals (1-2 a, 2-1 h aet, 3-4 pens).

Lille have won two of their last ten 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

Reinildo made 87 appearances for Lille between January 2019 and joining Atlético three years later, scoring once.

Have also played in France:
César Azpilicueta (Marseille 2010–12)
Clément Lenglet (Nancy 2010–17)
Robin Le Normand (Brest 2011–16)
Thomas Lemar (Caen 2010–15, Monaco 2015–18)
Antoine Griezmann (Mâcon academy 1997–2005)

Has played in Spain:
Aïssa Mandi (Betis 2016–21, Villarreal 2021–24)

Have played together:
Alexander Sørloth & Aïssa Mandi (Villarreal 2023/24)

International team-mates:
Axel Witsel & Thomas Meunier (Belgium)
Alexander Sørloth & Osame Sahraoui (Norway)

Latest news

Atlético de Madrid

Atlético are still unbeaten in this season's Liga (W5 D5). On Sunday they came from behind to win 3-1 at home to Leganés.

Alexander Sørloth scored twice to make it three successive games in which he had found the net for club and country, four goals in all.

Antoine Griezmann, who also scored on Sunday, is Atleti's top scorer this season with four goals, one more than Julián Álvarez and Sørloth.

Robin Le Normand suffered a serious head injury in a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on 29 September.

Marcos Llorente has been out since going off at Benfica with a thigh injury.

César Azpilicueta has missed the last five games with a calf injury.

An unused substitute in the last four games, Thomas Lemar has not played for Atlético since 16 September 2023, when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Sørloth scored for Norway against Slovenia (3-0) on 10 October – past club-mate Jan Oblak – and Austria (1-5) three days later in the UEFA Nations League.

On 15 October Álvarez scored in Argentina's 6-0 win over Bolivia in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

LOSC Lille

Lille are unbeaten in five games since the 2-0 loss at Sporting CP on Matchday 1 – their fourth successive defeat. They drew 0-0 at Monaco on Friday, ending a three-match winning streak.

Edon Zhegrova has scored six goals in all competitions this season.

Angel Gomes set up Jack Grealish for England's first goal in their 3-1 UEFA Nations League win in Finland on 13 October.

Zhegrova scored Kosovo's first goal in a 2-1 win in Lithuania on 12 October.

Jonathan David got Canada's winner in a 2-1 friendly defeat of Panama on 15 October.

Osame Sahraoui made his Morocco debut in a 4-0 win in Central Africa Republic on 15 October.

Tiago Santos ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in training on 15 October.

Ngal'ayel Mukau came on late on at Monaco having been out since 1 September with an ankle injury but Ismaily (20 August, knee) is still sidelined.

Hákon Arnar Haraldsson suffered a foot injury while on Iceland duty on 5 September and is likely to be out until December.

Ethan Mbappé tore a thigh muscle at Le Havre on 28 September and is not expected to play again this year.

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