Seeking to stretch their unbeaten run across all tournaments to eight matches, Lens welcome Nantes to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis for their next Ligue 1 showdown on Saturday.
Franck Haise's side came from behind to hold PSV Eindhoven to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League in midweek, while Les Canaris most recently saw off Montpellier HSC 2-0 in top-flight action.
Match preview
© Reuters
Still unbeaten in the Champions League since making their return to the upper echelon of European football, Lens once again did it the hard way when PSV paid a visit to northern France, where Arsenal had come unstuck against Haise's staunch backline only a few weeks ago.
A moment of magic from Johan Bakayoko propelled the free-scoring Dutch giants into a second-half lead, but PSV's advantage lasted for a mere 11 minutes, as the returning Elye Wahi - who netted the winner against Arsenal - produced a true striker's finish at the near post to level the scores.
Lens' stalemate versus the Rood-Witten was not enough to keep them at the summit of Group B; Arsenal's 2-1 win over Sevilla saw them overtake Les Merlus, but Haise's side have certainly rediscovered their Midas touch after a dissatisfactory start to the season.
However, a clinical edge eluded them in last Friday's 0-0 draw with Le Havre - where the absence of the suspended Wahi was well and truly felt - and with nine points to show from as many Ligue 1 contests this season, last season's runners-up are flirting with danger in 15th place.
Only one point separates Lens from Metz in the relegation playoff place, but eight of the hosts' nine points in the top flight this term have been achieved in their last four matches, during which time their increasingly stingy rearguard has also let in just two goals.
© Reuters
Also hitting a rich vein of form after starting the season with a handful of defeats, Nantes proved too strong for Montpellier when La Paillade visited the Stade de la Beaujoire last weekend, although Michel Der Zakarian's men held out for 44 minutes before a defensive mix-up proved fatal.
A mishit clearance from Benjamin Lecomte fell kindly for Florent Mollet to find the net from range, before Moses Simon laid on his fifth assist of the season for Abdoul Kader Bamba to complete the job in the 74th minute, extending Les Canaris' recent purple patch in the process.
Boasting four triumphs from their last five games during an uptick in results - the outlier in that sequence being a 3-1 beating at the hands of Rennes - Nantes, who failed to win any of their first four games of the new term, have suddenly shot up to European contention in seventh place, just one point shy of the top four.
Only Monaco (23) and Paris Saint-Germain (20) have found the back of the net more often than Pierre Aristouy's hotshots, who have 16 efforts to their name, and by overcoming Clermont and Strasbourg away from home, Nantes have already equalled their entire tally of away wins from the 2022-23 season.
Les Canaris bested Lens 3-1 during the most recent meeting between the two clubs, which came in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France back in March, but Les Sang et Or prevailed by the same scoreline in this Ligue 1 fixture last term and have not been beaten at home by Nantes since their days in Ligue 2 during the 2012-13 season.
Team News
© Reuters
Returning from suspension with a bang in the Champions League, Lens striker Wahi has served a domestic ban for yellow-card accumulation and will continue at the tip of the attack here, a timely comeback as Wesley Said is missing with a thigh issue.
No other fresh concerns have arisen from their battle with PSV, where Deiver Machado was able to complete 82 minutes after missing the meeting with Le Havre, leaving David Costa, Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez as the hosts' only three absentees with leg injuries.
Haise could therefore opt to start either Faitout Maouassa or Massadio Haidara should Machado be spared this weekend, while a recall for Adrien Thomasson over Angelo Fulgini in the final could also be sanctioned by the head coach.
Speaking of attackers returning from the naughty step, Nantes will have their main marksman Mostafa Mohamed back to lead the line this week - the Egypt international has sat out his side's last two games owing to his red card in the loss to Rennes.
Mohamed's return spells danger for Matthis Abline at the tip of the Canaris attack, while centre-back Jean-Charles Castelletto has also served a ban for an accumulation of bookings and ought to return to the heart of the backline.
As a result, Jean-Kevin Duverne is set to be pushed out to the right-hand side, thereby forcing Marcus Coco to accept a spot among the replacements alongside Ronael Pierre-Gabriel.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Samba; Medina, Danso, Gradit; Frankowski, Abdul Samed, Mendy, Haidara; Sotoca, Thomasson; Wahi
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Duverne, Castelletto, Comert, Merlin; Chirivella, Moutoussamy, Sissoko; Mollet, Mohamed, Simon
We say: Lens 1-1 Nantes
Saturday night's Ligue 1 affair is a particularly difficult one to call, as Lens have shut up shop at the back admirably in recent weeks, albeit not always with the attacking proficiency to go with it.
With jellied legs from the Champions League also setting in, Haise's backline may still struggle to contain a prolific Nantes side, who can feel confident of holding out for a slice of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
