The Matchday 16 clash in Ligue 1 between Lens and Toulouse will take place on January 5 at the Bollaert-Delelis Stadium. Lens vs. Toulouse: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Hakim Ben El-Hadj (France)
Matches – 8 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 32;
Average yellow cards per match – 4;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 28;
Penalties – 25%.
Predicted lineups for Lens vs. Toulouse
Lens (4-2-3-1): Brice Samba – Facundo Medina, Abdulqadir Khusanov, Kevin Danso, Przemysław Frankowski – Neil El Aynaoui, Adrien Thomasson – Anass Zaroury, Fulgini, Remy Labo-Lascary – M’Bala Nzola.
Toulouse (3-4-2-1): Guillaume Restes – Mark McKenzie, Charlie Cresswell, Djibril Sidibe – Gabriel Suazo, Vincent Sierro, Christian Casseres, Aron Dønnum – Zakaria Aboukhlal, Xavi Babica – Joshua King.
The starting lineup for each team is from their last match in this tournament.
Lens
In the last round, William Still's team drew 2-2 with Auxerre. This result ended their streak of uncompromising matches in the league, which included four wins and three losses. The team is currently in 7th place in the Ligue 1 standings, level on points with their closest competitor, Nice, who are above them only on goal difference. Notably, Lens has conceded only 14 goals in this championship, a record matched only by PSG.
- No more than two goals have been scored in 5 of Lens' last 7 home matches in Ligue 1.
- At least one team failed to score in 5 of Lens' last 7 home matches in this tournament.
- The club has scored first in 4 of their last 5 league matches.
Toulouse
In Matchday 15, the team defeated Saint-Etienne 2-1. In their last 8 Ligue 1 matches, Carles Martinez's team has lost only twice, with 5 wins and 1 draw. These successful results have lifted the club to 9th place in the standings, the highest they have been in this season's championship. They are 3 points away from the European competition spots, with only a 1-point lead over their closest pursuer, Reims.
- One team failed to score in Toulouse's last 4 away matches in Ligue 1.
- A goal was scored in the first half in 5 of the club's last 6 away matches in this tournament.
- Toulouse has scored at least one goal in 8 of their last 11 away matches in the league.
Lens vs. Toulouse: Match Prediction
Lens is particularly resilient in their home Ligue 1 matches, having not lost in 9 of their last 11 home games (5 wins, 4 draws). A solid defense has played a key role in these results, as the team has conceded only 10 goals in these 11 matches, keeping clean sheets in 6 of them. Consequently, no more than three goals have been scored in 8 of their last 11 home matches in this tournament.
Toulouse's away performance in the league is less impressive, with no wins in 5 of their last 7 away matches (1 draw, 4 losses). Furthermore, no more than three goals have been scored in those 7 away games in Ligue 1.
The head-to-head statistics are noteworthy – no more than three goals have been scored in the last 10 matches between these teams at Lens' home ground in the league, with Lens remaining unbeaten in 8 of those games (6 wins, 2 draws). I expect the upcoming match to follow a similar pattern. My prediction: 1X + Total under 3.5 goals
