A historic victory? After their 1-1 draw in Dortmund, Lille will reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time with a home victory against the German club on Wednesday (6:45 p.m.).

In the Westfalenstadion and its immense Südtribune, a yellow and black wave capable of engulfing any opponent, Lille first swayed and then tamed the swell to earn the right to believe in the quarterfinals.

They've never been this close, after four defeats in as many round-of-16 matches against Manchester United (1-0 twice) in 2007 and Chelsea (2-0, 2-1) in 2022.

But it's crucial to shed the weight of history and the dizzying prospect of writing a page in it, according to coach Bruno Genesio: "That's one of the dangers we face: thinking about that before thinking about the match, the game. We simply have to focus on what we have to do to achieve this goal. And when we achieve it, we'll have time to savor and talk about it all."

Lille will be able to count on the support of the Stade Pierre-Mauroy and its approximately 48,000 spectators. The stadium in the suburbs of Lille never resonates as much as on European nights, such as the Conference League quarter-final second leg against Aston Villa last season, where the Dogues had to throw in the towel in a boiling arena.

For the occasion, the club's ultras asked the supporters to dress in red to form another wall, even more impressive and solid than that of BVB.

- Crisis in Dortmund -

On the pitch, Bruno Genesio's players secured a valuable victory at this same stadium against Montpellier (1-0) on Saturday to maintain their good momentum. This was quite the contrast for the Ruhr club, who lost at home to Augsburg (1-0) earlier in the afternoon, jeopardizing the tenth-placed Bundesliga side's chances of competing in the next Champions League.

This increased tensions within the club and angered coach Niko Kovac, for whom "there was no aggression, no intensity, no ball circulation" from his players, who "didn't create any chances or scoring opportunities."

But the Germans' poor form in the league should not overshadow the "achievement" that a victory for the northerners would constitute, according to their goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. "We're playing the last Champions League finalist, so I don't think we're the favorites," he says. "Dortmund is struggling in the Bundesliga, but that doesn't take away from their strengths. We know very well that in the Champions League, teams sometimes show different levels."

Bruno Genesio goes even further, pointing out that a crisis "can create a sense of revolt and close ranks." "We know the strength of German teams in these moments: knowing how to refocus, refocus on an event," he warns. "We're expecting a hard-fought match where we'll have to do a lot of things perfectly to win."

- Lille has "everything to gain" -

However, the result in Dortmund and the expectations that accompany the stature of the German club, winner of Europe's most prestigious club competition (1997) and runner-up twice (2013, 2024), place the northern club in a favorable position, according to Lucas Chevalier: "They're the ones who come with more pressure since Lille, the last-16 is the best they've ever reached. We have everything to gain. Certainly, with the performance we put in there, it gives us hope."

To do this, Lille must build on their playful and exciting second half, both in their initiative, running and passing, and avoid a repeat of their first half, where they were too cautious.