Lens will look to extend their unbeaten run in Ligue 1 to 13 games when they play host to Nimes on Sunday at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
One of the hottest teams in France, Lens, are coming off a 1-1 draw with Brest, while Nimes are winless in their last three league games after conceding a late goal to Strasbourg in a 1-1 draw last weekend.
Match preview
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After earning promotion to the French top flight last season, Lens have enjoyed a monumental rise in Ligue 1.
Manager Franck Haise has implemented an effective 3-4-1-2 system that his team have executed brilliantly of late, particularly at home, where they have not lost in their last six Ligue 1 fixtures.
With Marseille and Rennes nipping at their heels, Haise knows his team need to keep winning to hold their current position in the standings, which would earn them a qualification spot for the Europa Conference League playoff round next season.
If Lens can earn a winning result this weekend, they would become just the third promoted team to go unbeaten in 13 consecutive league matches, after Reims in 2018-19 and Saint-Etienne in 2004-05.
This is a critical game for Sang et Or, who have arguably the toughest schedule of any Ligue 1 team down the stretch, facing Paris Saint-Germain, Lille and Monaco in three of their final four games.
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Pascal Plancque deserves a ton of credit for how he has transformed Les Crocodiles, but he knows they still have work to do.
After upsetting league leaders Lille 2-1, his side have faltered, losing 2-0 to Saint-Etienne before squandering back-to-back leads against Brest and Strasbourg.
Nimes would like to avoid a relegation playoff which could drop them down into Ligue 2 for the first time since 2017-18.
Salvation is within reach for Plancque and his team as they are just one point behind Lorient in the Ligue 1 table.
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Team News
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Lens will have to make some changes in defence with centre-back Steven Fortes suspended and Clement Michelin nursing a muscle injury, which means Cheick Traore could be one of the starting 11 players, assuming he is healthy after testing positive for COVID.
Their second-leading scorer Florian Sotoca could miss his fourth match with a calf injury, and Adam Oudjani could be out due to an injury as well.
In the absence of Sotoca, Gael Kakuta has stepped up, scoring in each of his last two games to lead the team, while he is just one assist behind Jonathan Clauss for the team lead.
Plancque has the luxury of a fully fit squad which he will need down the stretch if they are to remain in Ligue 1 beyond this season.
With an assist on Sunday, midfielder Zinedine Ferhat could move into a three-way tie for most in the league, while leading goalscorer Renaud Ripart will try to score his 10th goal this season.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Leca; Haidara, Bade, Traore; Sylla, Doucoure, Cahuzac, Clauss; Kakuta; Kalimuendo, Jean
Nimes possible starting lineup:
Reynet; Alakouch, Guessoum, Miguel, Meling; Deaux; Ferhat, Fomba, Benrahou, Ripart; Kone
We say: Lens 1-0 Nimes
Each of the last three home Ligue 1 games played by Lens against Nimes have resulted in a goalless draw.
Nimes will be desperate to overtake Lorient in the standings, while Lens want to maintain their slim lead on fifth place. The difference is Lens are stronger defensively than Les Crocodiles, who have conceded 60 goals, the second-most in Ligue 1.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
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 Lens win with a probability of 56.54%. A draw had a probability of 23.4% and a win for Nimes had a probability of 20.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lens win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.71%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.32%) and 2-1 (9.79%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.11%), while for a Nimes win it was 0-1 (6.3%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Lens would win this match.
