Lille face Betis with Hamza Igamane out and Abde Ezzalzouli a doubt

Hamza Igamane will miss Lille’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Real Betis, while Abde Ezzalzouli is a doubt for the Spanish side because of illness. The match takes place on 8 September 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 GMT.

Lille have made an encouraging start under Davide Ancelotti, who was appointed during the summer after Bruno Genesio left to join Olympique de Marseille. The Italian, son of Carlo Ancelotti, took on a significant challenge when he accepted the role, but his early results have suggested the decision could pay off.

Lille have won away at Angers and Toulouse without conceding, while also producing an impressive performance against Paris Saint-Germain. They appeared to be heading for a statement victory after establishing a 2-0 lead in stoppage time, but Paris Saint-Germain fought back to secure a 2-2 draw.

The French club have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the midweek fixture. Former Rangers forward Igamane remains their only injury absentee and has been unavailable since last year.

The projected Real Betis line-up is: Ozer; Santos, Ngoy, Alexsandro, Verdonk; Andre, Bentaleb; Mbappe, Haraldsson, Sahraoui; Giroud.

Betis also making strong progress

Manuel Pellegrini is beginning his seventh season in charge of Real Betis and has already guided the club to their first UEFA Champions League qualification during his time in Andalusia. It is also Betis’ first appearance in the competition since the 2005-06 season.

Their Liga campaign has begun positively, with three victories from four matches. One of those wins was a dramatic 1-0 success against Real Madrid at La Cartuja, where Troy Parrott scored the decisive goal.

That match also included a disallowed goal for Carlos Espi and a saved penalty from Kylian Mbappe. However, there was debate over whether the spot-kick should have been retaken.

Betis could have several selection issues to resolve before travelling to Lille. Diego Llorente was forced off injured in the previous match and his availability has not yet been confirmed. Ezzalzouli is unwell, Dani Ceballos is not yet fully fit and Giovani Lo Celso is also considered doubtful.

The projected Lille line-up is: Valles; Bellerin, Bartra, Natan, Garcia; Roca, Bernal; Antoine, Isco, Fornals; Cucho.

What to expect

Lille will hope to use home advantage to impose themselves, as they attempted to do when Paris Saint-Germain, the two-time European champions, visited earlier in the season. Their strong start under Ancelotti, combined with the attacking threat they showed against Paris Saint-Germain, should give them confidence.

Real Betis may instead look to exploit space on the break. Troy Parrott and Antony are expected to provide pace and penetration in transition, while a possible return for Ezzalzouli would give Pellegrini another attacking option.

The contrasting approaches could produce an open contest in France. Lille have already shown they can create problems against leading opposition, while Betis arrive with momentum from their Liga campaign. For neutral supporters, the fixture has the potential to be entertaining, and a match in which both teams score appears a realistic possibility.