Nabil Bentaleb ruled out as Lille face five absences against Bodø/Glimt

Lille midfielder Nabil Bentaleb has been ruled out of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League encounter against Bodø/Glimt after falling ill ahead of the French club’s trip to Norway.

The 31-year-old Algerian international is among five players unavailable to head coach Davide Ancelotti for the Matchday Four fixture at the Aspmyra Stadion.

Bentaleb’s absence represents an additional setback for Lille, who are desperate to secure their first points in the competition after losing their opening three matches against Real Betis, Arsenal and Galatasaray.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti confirmed that the midfielder had been left out of the travelling squad as a precaution.

“Nabil is ill. As a precaution, we didn’t travel with him with the group. He is unavailable for this match. We hope to have him back for the Rennes match,” the Italian coach explained.

Bentaleb had featured in Lille’s recent matches and started Friday’s 1-0 derby victory over RC Lens, making his absence particularly disappointing ahead of an important European encounter.

The other players missing for the French side are Hamza Igamane, Tiago Santos, Ayase Ueda and Ethan Mbappé.

Igamane continues his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, while Santos remains sidelined with a similar knee problem. Ueda is recovering from a plantar fascia injury, and Mbappé is unavailable through suspension.

Meanwhile, Angel Yondjo will also miss the encounter because he is not registered to participate in the Champions League.

Lille desperate for first Champions League points

Lille travel to Norway under considerable pressure after suffering defeats in all three of their opening European fixtures.

The French side lost 3-2 to Real Betis before suffering a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal and a 4-2 home loss to Galatasaray.

Those results have left Ancelotti’s team 35th in the league-phase standings without a point.

Their opponents, Bodø/Glimt, have collected three points and occupy 28th position.

However, Lille will take confidence from their recent domestic success against Lens, with Olivier Giroud scoring the decisive goal in Friday’s 1-0 victory.

Ancelotti will hope his remaining players can deliver another positive performance as Lille attempt to revive their Champions League campaign.