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

ES Troyes AC will face RC Lens in the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France on Wednesday at the Stade de l'Aube in Troyes, with a place in the quarter-finals of the competition at stake.

Both sides are in great form in their respective leagues and could see an opportunity for silverware in the domestic cup as a way to cap off an impressive season in line with their ambitions.

Match preview

Troyes advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2025–26 Coupe de France with a series of decisive performances, beginning with a 3–1 away victory over Olympique Marcquois in the Round of 64 in December at the Stade Georges Niquet, where goals from Seny Diaby, Elijah Odede and Mouhamed Diop secured progression.

They followed that up at the beginning of January with a 2–0 win against SC Bastia in the Round of 32, continuing their impressive cup form and booking a place in this last-16 tie.

To reach this stage, Troyes have shown resilience in knockout contests by combining disciplined defending with opportunistic attacking play, relying on organisation and efficiency in front of goal, qualities that will again be tested against higher-level opposition.

Troyes come into their tie with Lens on the back of consecutive league defeats to Guingamp and 10-man Le Mans, a run that ended their streak of 10 consecutive victories across all competitions.

Head coach Stephane Dumont has nevertheless impressed in his first season in charge, with Les Champenois on course for a return to Ligue 1 while also harbouring ambitions of defying the odds in the cup as they continue their journey against high-flying Lens.

They have met Lens 55 times in their history, with Troyes winning 14, drawing 13 and losing 28, but they have failed to win any of their last five meetings, picking up just one point in that run, a 1–1 Ligue 1 draw in January 2023 and have won only one of their three Coupe de France encounters against Lens while losing twice.

© Imago

RC Lens also secured their place in the Round of 16 of this season’s Coupe de France with strong performances in the earlier rounds, starting with a 3–1 victory over Entente Feignies-Aulnoye in the Round of 64 in December as Rayan Fofana, Saud Abdulhamid and Andrija Bulatovic found the net.

Lens then followed that up with a dominant 3–0 away win against FC Sochaux-Montbeliard in the Round of 32 in January, with goals from Odsonne Edouard, Matthieu Udol and Abdallah Sima underlining their effectiveness in knockout football.

Les Sang et Or come into this match with significant momentum, having won 11 of their last 12 fixtures across all competitions, most recently securing a 1–0 victory over Havre AC to bounce back from their 3–1 defeat away to Olympique Marseille in January.

Managed by head coach Pierre Sage, Lens made history last weekend by recording their 15th victory of the season to reach 46 points after 20 Ligue 1 matchdays, the best tally in the club’s history at this stage of the competition.

It is also worth noting that Lens have scored 11 goals from crosses this season, a total unmatched by any other team across Europe’s top five leagues.

Last season, Lens were eliminated in the Round of 32 by Paris Saint-Germain after a 4–2 penalty shootout defeat following a 1–1 draw, although they reached the quarter-finals in the 2022–23 campaign before eventually losing to Nantes.

Troyes Coupe de France form:

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Troyes form (all competitions):

Lens Coupe de France form:

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Lens form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago / PsnewZ

Troyes will be without left-back Lucas Maronnier after he suffered an injury in last weekend’s defeat to Le Mans and was stretchered off in the 53rd minute following an aerial collision with Mathis Hamdi.

Dumont has, however, been boosted by the arrival of versatile 25-year-old winger Kandet Diawara, who joined on Monday from German side FC Magdeburg and could make his debut against Lens, a club where he began his career.

For the visitors, centre-back Jonathan Gradit is a doubt due to a lower-leg problem, Jhoanner Chavez is questionable with a thigh strain, while Regis Gurtner and Samson Baidoo are dealing with hamstring injuries.

Despite battling PSG for the Ligue 1 title this season, the Coupe de France could offer Lens a clear route to silverware, and Sage is expected to rotate his squad while retaining a strong core on Wednesday.

Troyes possible starting lineup:

Konate; Titi, Monfray, Gambor, Ouzenadji; Diop, Ifnaoui, Adeline; Odede, Detourbet, Bentayeb

Lens possible starting lineup:

Risser; Antonio, Ganiou, Sarr; Thomasson, Sotoca, Abdulhamid, Udol; Said, Guilavogui, Edouard

We say: Troyes 0-2 Lens

It has been a strong cup run for Troyes, but Lens are cruising at the moment and remain driven by the ambition of lifting the Coupe de France for the first time in their history.

Given the visitors’ superior quality, current form and head-to-head advantage, we expect Sage’s side to deliver a composed and mature performance to secure victory and progress to the quarter-finals.

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