Preview: Toulouse vs Lens - prediction, team news, lineups

Lens will ring in 2026 on Friday with an opportunity to pad their lead atop the Ligue 1 table when they visit Stadium de Toulouse for a date with Toulouse on matchday 17.

Heading into the new year, Les Sang et Or are a point above Paris Saint-Germain for first, defeating Nice 2-0 in their final league fixture of 2025, while Toulouse moved up to eighth thanks to a 3-0 win over Paris FC.

Match preview

A Toulouse side that were stuck in mediocrity throughout a good portion of this campaign picked up steam near the tail end of 2025.

Carles Martinez’s men will begin the new year on a four-match unbeaten run across all competitions, winning their last three competitive fixtures.

Suddenly, a place in Europe is a realistic possibility for the Southern French club, who enter matchday 17 just four points behind Rennes and Lyon, respectively, for a European spot next season.

Toulouse have points in five of their last six top-flight home contests, collecting a clean sheet in two of those previous three outings.

On Friday, they can claim consecutive home victories in this competition for the first time since winning their final three domestic encounters of 2024.

Le Tefece have won all three of their first top-flight affairs this decade to begin a new year, including a 1-0 triumph in their opening league game of 2025 versus Lens.

Coming into a new year, the little club from Pas-de-Calais appear to be the real deal, posing a serious threat to PSG’s hopes of a fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title.

Pierre Sage has guided this team to a seven-match winning run across all competitions with 37 points after 16 matchdays, 13 more than they had at this stage last season.

His team have bought into the mentality of defence first, and it has taken them to the top of the table, having conceded the fewest goals in the French top-flight thus far (13).

They have needed to be sharp defensively, winning seven of their league-high 12 top-flight encounters this season by a single goal.

Lens have claimed five victories away from home domestically in 2025-26, just three fewer than they managed all of last season under Will Still.

Les Sang et Or have points in seven of their previous eight Ligue 1 affairs against Les Violets, while winning three of their last four visits to Stadium de Toulouse.

Toulouse Ligue 1 form:

Toulouse form (all competitions):

Lens Ligue 1 form:

Lens form (all competitions):

Team News

A tibia fracture will keep Abu Francis out of the Toulouse fold on Friday, while Warren Kamanzi is questionable with a knock and Frank Magri is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon.

Santiago Hidalgo netted the winner for them against Paris FC, Yann Gboho notched a brace and Guillaume Restes made three stops for his sixth clean sheet in Ligue 1, second only to PSG’s Lucas Chevalier.

Because of a lower leg problem, Jonathan Gradit may be scratched from this game for Lens, Jhoanner Chavez is questionable with a thigh strain, while Mamadou Sangare is away at AFCON representing Mali.

Odsonne Edouard scored his team-leading sixth and seventh goals of the league campaign for Lens at Nice in mid-December, while Robin Risser made four stops to collect his fifth clean sheet of the campaign.

Toulouse possible starting lineup:

Restes; McKenzie, Cresswell, Nicolaisen; Sidibe, Vossah, Casseres, Methalie; Hidalgo, Gboho; Emersonn

Lens possible starting lineup:

Risser; Ganiou, Baidoo, Sarr; Aguilar, Sangare, Thomasson, Udol; Thauvin, Said; Edouard

We say: Toulouse 1-2 Lens

PSG have been breathing down Lens's neck for weeks, but the latter have not flinched, and an opportunity to put pressure on the reigning league champions this weekend is one Les Sang et Or know they cannot afford to miss.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.