Lens – Lille Tips Free Betting Tips
Lens must put aside their disappointing midweek defeat in the Coupe de France (2-1 to Nantes) to face the 117th edition of the “Derby du Nord” in official matches against Lille. That defeat was only Lens’ second in six matches in all competitions (G2, E2), and the team remains focused on its quest to qualify for Europe through the league, where it continues to fight for a top-three finish.
Their home performance has been key to that European push this season, as the club has lost just one of its last 17 home league games (G14, E2) and allowed no more than one goal against in its last nine games in that span (G8, P1). While just one win in their last seven league derbies against Lille (E3, P3) means a good performance is required here, it is worth noting that that one joy came via a 1-0 win last year.
Lille’s elimination from the Coupe de France last month means they have had more than a week to prepare for this crucial clash, especially after recovering from a goal down to beat Brest 2-1 last Friday, a result that keeps alive their hopes of playing in European soccer next season. The Mastiffs’ attack has scored 45 goals in the first 25 games under coach Paulo Fonseca, the most in a new manager’s first 25 matches since 1979.
Playing away from home has not slowed the goals for a team that has scored three times in each of its last two league games on rival soil (G1, P1), although defensive vulnerabilities threaten to drag them down towards the bottom of the table, as Lille has conceded the first goal of the game before halftime in its last three away games in Ligue 1. There should be no excuses here, as it’s a trip of just under 40 kilometers, but they will be without Fonseca on the bench, who is serving a suspension after picking up a red card in Lille’s last game.
Players to watch: Lens’ Przemysław Frankowski scored the only goal of the game in this match last season, and his two league goals this campaign helped open the scoring. However, Jonathan David scored the winner for Lille when these two sides met in October and has scored six of his eight league goals since then during the first 60 minutes of play.
Key stat: The away side has not scored a second-half goal in six of the last seven meetings between these two teams (Lille: G4, P3).
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 2.00
The odds presented in the prediction may vary at the time of verification.
