The Matchday 22 clash in Ligue 1 between Lens and Strasbourg will take place on February 16 at the Bollaert-Delelis Stadium. Lens vs. Strasbourg: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Lens
In the last round, William Still's side suffered a 0-2 defeat away to Nice. As a result, Lens lost after two consecutive clean-sheet victories and failed to score for only the second time in their last 11 league matches. In the standings, the club has dropped to seventh place, allowing Marseille to overtake them. Both teams have 33 points, but Lens trails due to additional metrics. Notably, the club has shown strong defensive play, conceding only 20 goals this Ligue 1 season, a record matched by no other team.
- The club has not won in 6 of their last 9 home matches in Ligue 1 (2 draws, 4 losses).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 7 of the team's last 10 home league fixtures.
- Lens players have scored a maximum of one goal in 7 of their last 9 home games in Ligue 1.
Predicted lineup for Lens (4-4-2)*
Kouakou Koffi – Deiver Machado, Facundo Medina, Malang Sarr, Jonathan Gradit – Neil El Aynaoui, Adrien Thomasson, Andy Diouf, Gudin Koyalipu – Florian Sotoca, M'Bala Nzola.
Defenders Ruben Aguilar and Johan Chaves, as well as forwards Labo Lascari and Martin Satriano, will miss the match due to injuries. Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan's participation is also in doubt, and defender Facundo Medina is suspended. Additionally, midfielder Przemyslaw Frankowski has left the team on loan.
Strasbourg
Liam Rosenior's side defeated Montpellier 2-0 at home in the last round. As a result, Strasbourg managed to avoid defeat for the seventh time in their previous eight league matches (5 wins, 2 draws). Moreover, the club kept a clean sheet for the first time in six Ligue 1 encounters. The team remains in ninth place in the standings but has closed the gap to Lens to three points.
- The team has not won in 13 of their last 15 away matches in Ligue 1 (4 draws, 9 losses).
- At least 3 goals have been scored in 7 of the club's last 10 away league games.
- Strasbourg has scored in 11 of their last 13 away matches in Ligue 1.
Predicted lineup for Strasbourg (4-1-4-1)*
Djordje Petrovic – Andrew Omobamidele, Ismael Doukoure, Mamadou Sarr, Valentin Barco – Andrey Santos – Diego Moreira, Felix Lemarechal, Habib Diarra, Sebastian Nanasi – Emanuel Emegha.
Referee
Benoit Millot (France)
Matches – 10 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 42;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 20%.
Lens vs. Strasbourg: Match Prediction
At home, William Still's side does not always perform successfully, but they have recently improved their scoring form. In their last six home league matches, Lens players have only once left the field without scoring, managing to breach the defenses of strong opponents like Marseille and PSG during this stretch. Additionally, they scored twice against Montpellier and three times against Nantes.
Strasbourg also does not suffer from attacking issues and regularly scores even away from home. The club has found the net in 11 of their last 13 away league matches, scoring at least twice in five of those games. However, defensively, they are not without flaws, often making costly mistakes: in their last 14 away league encounters, Strasbourg has kept just one clean sheet.
Considering all factors, I expect a strong attacking display from both opponents. My prediction: Both teams to score – yes
* The starting lineup for each team reflects their lineup in their previous match in this tournament.
