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Lens will entertain league leaders Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in their first Ligue 1 match of the year on Sunday.
The hosts saw their unbeaten run in the league come to an end after 11 games in their previous outing as they lost 2-0 to second-placed Nice. They met Monaco in the Coupe de France last week and after the scoreline ended 2-2 during regulation time, they lost 6-5 in the ensuing penalty shootout.
The visitors concluded 2023 with a 3-1 win over Metz in Ligue 1. Kylian Mbappe bagged a second-half brace in that match to take his tally for the season to 18 goals. They have registered back-to-back wins in their first two games of 2024, recording a 2-0 win over Toulouse in the Trophee des Champions final and thrashing Revel 9-0 in the Coupe de France on Sunday.
Mbappe continued his fine form with a hat-trick while Randal Kolo Muani bagged a second-half brace. 19-year-old Cher Ndour scored his first goal for the club in that win.
Lens vs PSG Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 89 times across all competitions since 1974. The visitors have the upper hand in the head-to-head record against the hosts with 43 wins to their name. The hosts have 25 wins in this fixture and 21 games have ended in draws.
- Interestingly, the last three meetings between them have ended with a scoreline of 3-1, with two wins for the visitors and one win for the home team.
- They last met in the reverse fixture in August, with PSG recording a comfortable home win.
- Lens are unbeaten in their last three home meetings against the league leaders, recording two wins.
- The visitors are unbeaten in their last 15 away games in Ligue 1.
Lens vs PSG Prediction
Les Sang et Or suffered their first defeat in the Ligue 1 since September last time around and will look to return to winning ways. They have suffered just two defeats at home across all competitions this term, with one of them coming on penalties, so they'll be hopeful of a positive outing.
Head coach Franck Haise received a sanction for his expressing dissent against match officials in the Coupe de France and is banned from the sidelines for the next three league games.
Jimmy Cabot, Deiver Machado, and Massadio Haïdara are the confirmed absentees for the hosts while Jonathan Gradit is expected to mark his return from an injury here. Nampalys Mendy, Abduqodir Khusanov, Salis Abdul Samed, Morgan Guilavogui, and Oscar Cortes are on international duty, adding to a lengthy absentee list.
Les Parisiens have suffered just one defeat in their last 16 games across all competitions. They have enjoyed an unbeaten run in away games in Ligue 1 this season and will look to avoid a defeat in this match.
Coming to the team news, Luis Enrique will be without the services of Arnau Tenas due to a shoulder injury. Lee Kang-In and Achraf Hakimi are the two absentees due to international duty. Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes, Sergio Rico, Fabián Ruiz, and Milan Skriniar are long-term absentees.
The visitors have made it three wins on the trot and considering their current goalscoring form, we back them to register a comfortable win.
Prediction: Lens 1-3 PSG
Lens vs PSG Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - PSG to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Kylian Mbappé to score or assist any time - Yes
