Ligue 1 surprise package Lens will aim to further their charge for a European spot when they welcome title-chasing Lyon to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis for Saturday's battle.
The hosts enjoyed a 2-1 triumph over Strasbourg before the international break, whereas Lyon suffered a crushing 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain as their hopes of Ligue 1 glory took yet another blow.
Match preview
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Lens midfield lynchpin Seko Fofana once again proved his importance to the team with the winner in a 2-1 success against Strasbourg last time out, as the 25-year-old finished excellently at the near post as Jonathan Clauss chalked up his second assist of the game in the 40th minute.
Massadio Haidara had initially opened the scoring before Jean-Ricner Bellegarde's header restored parity for Strasbourg, but Fofana's third goal contribution in five matches saw Franck Haise's men extend their unbeaten run to nine matches during what has been a phenomenal first season back in the big time.
Sang et Or are firmly in contention for the final European spot as they sit fifth in the table - three points clear of an inconsistent Marseille - and a stint in continental football would be just reward for the performances of Haise's side throughout the 2020-21 campaign, especially when taking into account their major coronavirus outbreak.
Furthermore, Lens have found the back of the net at least twice in their last five matches and are finally able to welcome Ignatius Ganago back to the fold after a frustrating muscular problem, although they have only kept one clean sheet in their last 10 before Lyon and their feared attacking trident pay a visit.
While Lens' entire season has been exceptional, their home form is certainly not what has propelled them into the top five, as Haise's side have won just two of their last 11 league matches at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis and must have their wits about them if their unbeaten league run is to stretch into double figures this weekend.
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The gulf in class between Lyon and PSG was evident at the Groupama Stadium on March 21, as the champions stormed into a 4-0 lead courtesy of Angel Di Maria, Danilo Pereira and Kylian Mbappe (2) before the hour mark in that top-of-the-table clash.
Rudi Garcia's men did set up a tense finale as Islam Slimani and Maxwell Cornet threatened a comeback late on, but PSG broke Lyon down at will in the first half and Les Gones paid the price for failing to keep Mbappe quiet, as the Ligue 1 title race continues to throw up twists and turns every week.
Lyon will be thankful that title rivals Lille suffered a shock defeat to Nimes before the international break, but the third-placed Gones now sit three points behind Lille and new leaders PSG with eight games left to play, although the top two sides are facing off a few hours before and something has to give in that pulsating clash.
Having also drawn 1-1 with Reims before their battle with PSG, Garcia's side are at risk of going three games without a win for the first time since October, but their astonishing record of 13 league games unbeaten away from home is cause for optimism against a Lens side who flatter to deceive on their own soil.
A thrilling contest in January saw Lyon run out 3-2 winners against Lens at the Groupama Stadium, while Sang et Or have not beaten their opponents at home in the league since the 2007-08 campaign, and the two sides have not shared the spoils since 2006.
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Team News
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Lens centre-back Facundo Medina will be forced to sit this one out due to an accumulation of yellow cards, so Steven Fortes should deputise in Haise's back three.
Clauss is in no danger of being demoted to the bench by Clement Michelin after his brace of assists last time out, but it remains to be seen if Arnaud Kalimuendo will be cleared to play as he battles his way back from a knee problem.
Ganago could be in line for his first start since January if Simon Banza makes way, while Florian Sotoca was surprisingly benched against Strasbourg and will be eyeing an immediate recall this weekend.
Arsenal-linked midfielder Houssem Aouar missed out against PSG due to a muscular problem, and having not travelled for international duty, he will not be ready for this fixture either.
The visitors have no injury concerns otherwise, but Bruno Guimaraes is pining for a start over Maxence Caqueret in the middle of the park, while Leo Dubois could earn a recall at right-back over Mattia De Sciglio.
Slimani's goal against PSG is unlikely to see him earn a start over Memphis Depay, who bagged two goals and two assists in the Netherlands' three World Cup Qualifying matches last month.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Leca; Fortes, Bade, Gradit; Clauss, Fofana, Doucoure, Haidara; Kakuta; Sotoca, Ganago
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Dubois, Marcelo, Denayer, Cornet; Mendes, Caqueret, Paqueta; Kadewere, Depay, Toko Ekambi
We say: Lens 1-2 Lyon
Lyon may as well kiss the title goodbye if they fail to take maximum points from their next few fixtures, but their impressive record on their travels should help get them over the line this weekend. Lens are no pushovers and have an unbeaten run of their own to maintain, but Haise's men are not exactly a force to be reckoned with at home, so we are backing Garcia's side to scrape a narrow victory and keep their hopes of silverware alive.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Lyon win with a probability of 53.92%. A draw had a probability of 24% and a win for Lens had a probability of 22.09%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lyon win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.42%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.73%) and 1-2 (9.72%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.4%), while for a Lens win it was 1-0 (6.69%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.4% likelihood.
