Lens-Strasbourg is a Ligue 1 match of the 30th day and is played on Friday at 21:00: statistics, likely formations, predictions
Suddenly Lens seem to be back to their early season form, having long contested the top spot with the heavily favoured Psg. Having overcome the slump in January and February, Franck Haise’s team have regained their lost continuity and in the last three days of the season have racked up three wins in a row against Clermont, Angers and Rennes.
A winning streak in which the Giallorossi not only kept their goal unbeaten but also scored eight goals in total. Their last defeat in Ligue 1 was around two months ago and since March their only misstep has been in the Coupe de France against Nantes. Thanks to the success obtained in Brittany last Saturday – a decisive goal from the usual Openda, who has now reached 15 in the top scorers’ chart – Lens returned to second position, taking advantage of Marseille’s new false step, stopped at the Velodrome by Montpellier. Fofana and his teammates also nibbled three points off Psg, who suffered their second consecutive defeat. The Parisians, and consequently the top of the table, are now six points behind, and next weekend’s clash at the Parc des Princes is scheduled, with the Giallorossi dreaming of another feat like the first leg.
Before thinking about Paris Saint-Germain, Lens host Strasbourg in their Week 30 clash, fresh from a pyrotechnic defeat at home to Monaco, who came out on top 4-3.
Antonetti, Strasbourg coach
The Alsatians, who came from behind in the Principality after finishing the first half ahead, are involved in a relegation battle in which only bottom-of-the-table Angers give the impression of being out of the running. Frederic Antonetti’s side are out of danger for the moment but have 26 points, the same as fourth-last-placed Auxerre, behind only on goal difference. In the last five days Strasbourg have barely had a win and the feeling is that they will have to suffer until the very end.
The prediction
If only home matches were taken into account, Lens would be first in the table: nobody has done better than the Giallorossi at home (12 wins, one draw and one defeat). A success, which would be the fourth consecutive, should also come against the dangerous Strasbourg. The total goals will most likely be at least two.
Lens v Strasbourg likely line-up
- LENS (3-4-3): Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Samed, Fofana, Machado; Thomasson, Openda, Fulgini.
- STRASBURG (3-4-3): Sels; Diarra, Doukouré, Nyamsi; Guilbert, Aholou, Sissoko, Delaine; Bellegarde, Diallo, Sanson.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-0
