Contents
- Competition: France &— Ligue 1
- Date: Saturday, 16th, March 2024
- Kickoff: 20:00 UTC / 21.00 CET
- Venue: Stade Bollaert-Delelis (Lens)
RC Lens, having made a comeback, is keen to continue its drive towards the Champions League spots as it prepares to host OGC Nice, a team in crisis, at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in the 26th round of Ligue 1 on Saturday.
RC Lens vs OGC Nice Betting Tips: Lens to Win
Even though their head coach Franck Haise was suspended and confined to the “sin bin”, RC Lens still managed to secure a crucial three points against Brest, this season’s unexpected strong contender, on their home ground. The match was won with a narrow 1-0 victory, thanks to a header from Ruben Aguilar, which made the difference between the two teams.
After their latest victory moved them up to fifth place, surpassing their rivals who stumbled on Saturday and matching LOSC Lille, who are in fourth position and have a place in the Champions League qualifiers, last season’s Ligue 1 runners-up are determined to keep a perfect record in March to keep their hopes of automatic UCL spots alive.
Recently, Les Sang et Or have been significantly improving their defensive discipline, as shown by their four shutouts in their last five wins, including those this month. The northern French team is looking to continue this trend against OGC Nice, a team they’ve successfully held scoreless in six of their last eight home games.
Moreover, it is questionable if the team from the Azure Coast has the ability to disrupt the revitalized RC Lens. Despite their impressive 4-1 victory against Montpellier in the Coupe de France’s last-16 match, Les Aiglons have not won any of the subsequent six matches, losing on each occasion.
While OGC Nice is still poised to secure a top-four finish in the domestic campaign, their form on the road is worryingly poor. They’ve only managed to gain just two points from a possible 21 in their last seven Ligue 1 away matches. Adding to the concern is their limited scoring &— they’ve only managed to score twice during these games.
The struggles in the final third of the pitch have become characteristic for Francesco Farioli’s side this term, as they share the poorest goal-scoring record in the French top-flight alongside Nantes, entering the scoreboard a miserable nine times in 12 away fixtures so far. With RC Lens also lacking sparkle in attack, coupled with the fact that there have been fewer than two goals in each of their last three H2H face-offs, it appears that a solitary goal could make all the difference between the two Champions League contenders.
RC Lens vs OGC Nice Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
20 dec 23
OGC Nice
2 : 0
RC Lens
Ligue 1
-
01 feb 23
RC Lens
0 : 1
OGC Nice
Ligue 1
-
29 dec 22
OGC Nice
0 : 0
RC Lens
Ligue 1
-
10 apr 22
RC Lens
3 : 0
OGC Nice
Ligue 1
-
22 dec 21
OGC Nice
2 : 1
RC Lens
Ligue 1
RC Lens team news
Alongside the touchline guidance of Franck Haise, RC Lens will also have the 24-year-old Facundo Medina back in defense after the Argentine defender served a one-match ban for accumulating bookings.
Unfortunately, Les Sang et Or will be guaranteed to be without the services of both left-backs Massadio Haidara and Jhoanner Chavez, including midfielder Jimmy Cabot, while Colombian international Deiver Machado remains doubtful.
Last matches of RC Lens
-
09 mar 24
RC Lens
1 : 0
Brest
Ligue 1
-
03 mar 24
Lyon
0 : 3
RC Lens
Ligue 1
-
25 feb 24
RC Lens
2 : 3
Monaco
Ligue 1
-
22 feb 24
SC Freiburg
1 : 0
RC Lens
Europa League
-
18 feb 24
Reims
1 : 1
RC Lens
Ligue 1
RC Lens lineup
Goalkeeper
-
30
Brice Samba
Defenders
-
14
Facundo Medina
-
4
Kevin Danso
-
24
Jonathan Gradit
Midfielders
-
29
Przemyslaw Frankowski
-
23
Neil El Aynaoui
-
26
Nampalys Mendy
-
2
Ruben Aguilar
Forwards
-
10
David Pereira da Costa
-
9
Elye Wahi
-
7
Florian Sotoca
OGC Nice team news
When it comes to the visiting side, they will definitely step into Stade Bollaert-Delelis without Valentin Rosier, Alexis Beka Beka, and Sofiane Diop, while Youssouf Ndayishimiye is questionable for Saturday’s trip due to a thigh issue.
Furthermore, Italian tactician Francesco Farioli will likely have to deploy Maxime Dupe between the posts against RC Lens, as Polish first-choice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka suffered a broken nose in the midweek 1-3 Coupe de France defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Last matches of OGC Nice
-
13 mar 24
PSG
3 : 1
OGC Nice
Coupe de France
-
08 mar 24
OGC Nice
1 : 2
Montpellier
Ligue 1
-
03 mar 24
Toulouse
2 : 1
OGC Nice
Ligue 1
-
25 feb 24
OGC Nice
0 : 0
Clermont
Ligue 1
-
16 feb 24
Lyon
1 : 0
OGC Nice
Ligue 1
OGC Nice lineup
Goalkeeper
-
31
Maxime Dupe
Defenders
-
6
Jean-Clair Todibo
-
4
Dante
-
8
Pablo Rosario
Midfielders
-
26
Melvin Bard
-
28
Hicham Boudaoui
-
19
Khephren Thuram
-
23
Jordan Lotomba
Forwards
-
7
Jeremie Boga
-
24
Gaetan Laborde
-
9
Terem Moffi
4 Reasons why we expect Under 2.5
- In four of their last five Ligue 1 wins, RC Lens has managed to keep a clean sheet.
- OGC Nice has not managed to score in five of their last six away games.
- No more than two goals have been scored in each of the last three meetings between these sides.
- In six of their last eight head-to-head home encounters against OGC Nice, RC Lens has managed to keep a clean sheet.
Main prediction RC Lens &— OGC Nice
Under 2.5 goals
Best Odds:
Do you agree with don_ andres ?
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Yes 83%
6 votes
No 17%