On Saturday, several very interesting encounters await us across Europe, and this time we have analyzed one of the most interesting matches of the 26th round of the French Ligue 1, where Lens will host Nice at their stadium. The match between these two teams is scheduled to start at 21:00.
Lens: Great Performances Lately, Champions League Talks Again!
Last season, the footballers of Lens played perhaps the most beautiful football in France, and against all odds, they finished in second place in the table, just one point behind the first-placed PSG, which has been dominating French football for years. One of the key figures for the vice-champion title was Luis Openda, who has since moved to Leipzig, and it was certainly very difficult to replace his performance. Of course, the second place also brought Lens a spot in the top European club competition, and the general impression is that the French representative did not disgrace themselves there, despite the group being quite challenging with Arsenal, Sevilla, and PSV. In the end, the French team finished third in the group, meaning they continued in the Round of 16 of the second-tier European club competition.
There, Lens faced Freiburg, who was better over two legs and deservedly advanced to the Round of 16, where the German representative was smoothly eliminated by West Ham.
Regarding the new edition of Ligue 1, it was very difficult to expect Lens to repeat last year’s performances, but when all is said and done, it seems that the fans of this team have a lot of reasons to be satisfied again. Currently, the reigning French vice-champion is in fifth place in the table with the same number of points as fourth-placed Lille, noting that this fourth place now leads to the Champions League qualifiers, so it is certainly the primary goal for Lens. In the last five matches, this charming team achieved three victories, one draw, and only one defeat, which was at home against Monaco in a spectacular match that ended 2:3. In the previous round, the fifth-placed team achieved a very important victory at home against this season’s excellent Brest, who are in second place, and that duel ended with a minimal victory for the home team.
Finally, regarding home matches, this team has played twelve games at their stadium, achieving seven victories, two draws, and three defeats.
Nice: The Team from the Azure Coast Doesn’t Resemble the One from the First Part of the Season!
Nice was founded in 1904, and to date, this club has won the French championship title four times, lastly in 1959. Besides the four championship trophies, this team has also won the French Cup three times, the last time in 1994, when they defeated Guingamp in the grand final after a better penalty shootout. Unfortunately, last season the team had to settle for ninth place in the table, which did not satisfy the club’s leaders, as the primary goal for years has been to qualify for European club competitions, noting that this team participated in the Conference League last season, reaching the quarterfinals but was eliminated by Basel, which was certainly a surprise.
Last summer, Francesco Farioli took over as coach of the former French champions, and it seems that it was the best possible solution. Currently, Nice is in sixth place in the table, which at the end of the championship brings qualification for the Conference League, however, it should not be forgotten that the team from the Azure Coast started this season fantastically and long held the first place in the table until PSG stepped up and created a huge advantage over their closest rivals. Unfortunately, lately, the participant of the third-tier European club competition last season has had huge problems, as this team has been without a victory in the last five league matches, suffering four defeats and only one draw, which was at home against Clermont with no goals scored.
In the last round, the team from the Azure Coast was defeated at home by Montpellier, ending the match 1:2, which was certainly hard for everyone in the club, as this new defeat was exploited by Lille and Lens, who advanced to the fourth and fifth positions in the table, respectively.
Regarding away matches, the former French champion has played twelve games on the road, securing four victories, three draws, and five defeats, with the last away win achieved at the end of October against Clermont, ending 0:1.
Our Suggestion
Firstly, Lens has been playing quite well at home for years, and considering that Nice is in huge trouble lately, we can confidently state that the home team is a big favorite in this duel, so we advise you to try with a single bet at odds of 2.05 at MozzartBet.
It is not excluded that this duel between two very quality teams will bring a lot of goals, so we advise you to try with the game 3+ at odds of 2.17 at MozzartBet.
Finally, Lens usually breaks rivals in the first part of the game at home, so we boldly recommend you focus on the transition 1-1, which the bookmaker MozzartBet pays at odds of 3.25.
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