With a win confirming their spot in the Champions League groups, Monaco’s final Ligue 1 game of the campaign Saturday sees them travel to Lens. Do non forget out sportsbook is offering a great range of betting markets and props for the top European soccer leagues.
Check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and Ligue 1 odds for Lens vs Monaco. There are plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Lens: Fighting for the Conference League spot
Lens still have slim hopes of qualifying for Europe. They’re only two points away from fifth-place Strasbourg, who occupy the final UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying spot. In order to finish fifth, Lens must beat Monaco, but they also need looses by both Nice and Strasbourg, against Reims and Marseille, respectively.
Based on current form, one loss in their last ten games, catching Strasbourg and Nice isn’t beyond Lens. They enter this clash on the back of two consecutive wins (against Reims and Troyes) in which they scored five goals. Stuck in France’s second tier for the better part of the past decade, Lens returned to Ligue 1 at last in 2020. Under the stewardship of manager Franck Haise, they finished seventh in the 2020-21 campaign. His tenure so far has produced the second-highest points-per-game average in the club’s history in the top flight. They fell short by just one point for a UEFA Conference League spot.
Lens had their best start to a top-flight season since 2001-02. They finished second with 21 points after 11 games, and Haise quickly found a good formula to help Lens punch above their weight class. However, unfortunately, the second part of the season was not the same. They dropped many points against top sides in the league. Lens are the only Ligue 1 team to play with a back three over since the start of the 2020-21 season, but they have the worst defense in the top seven (46 goals conceded in 37 games). Given Monaco’s stellar run of form, it’s risky to back the underdogs in this clash, so we’ll not include Lens in our soccer picks and parlays.
Monaco: Scoring goals for fun
For a short while, Monaco were seemingly condemned to a season without continental action, as Philippe Clement struggled to find the formula. Then, a remarkable winning run has Les Monegasques potentially only 90 minutes away from securing a Champions League return.
Monaco had Aurelien Tchouaméni as the star in their 2-1 success over Lille a couple of weeks ago The 22-year-old’s stock continued to rise, scoring two superb goals in the match. Liverpool have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Tchouaméni after the midfielder prioritized a move to the club. Wissam Ben Yedder was the man of the match, scoring three goals in a 4-2 win against Brest. That’s now seven goals in his last eight appearances for the club.
Monaco are now sitting second in the league standings, equal in points with third-placed Marseille but owning a better goal differential. If they win this game, they will earn their Champions League group spot without having to play in qualifiers. Monaco’s sensational streak of nine consecutive victories has seen them average over two goals scored per game.
There’s no fresh Monaco injury concerns after the win over Brest, and Gelson Martins would return from a groin issue. Perennial absentee Cesc Fabregas remains out of contention, alongside Krepin Diatta, though neither man would likely start against Lens. Clement has no reason to make any changes from the side that edged past Brest, where 24-goal striker Wissam Ben Yedder will aim to keep his Golden Boot chances alive, He is currently sitting one goal behind PSG’s superstar Kylian Mbappe. If you’re betting online and love your props, then Ben Yedder is the player to watch and bet on.
Lens vs Monaco Head-to-Head
Lens managed to beat Monaco, 2-0, in the reverse fixtures on the road, but Monaco bounced back and whipped them, 4-2, in January. That knocked Lens them out of the Coupe de France. Since their promotion to the top tier league in 2020, Lens managed to remain unbeaten in the domestic league against Monaco, winning two of their three mutual encounters, three clean sheets in the process. This season, Lens lost just three games on home soil, winning half of their 18 fixtures in front of their fans (scoring 33 goals). Monaco, conversely, are one of the best road teams of the season, accumulating 28 points in 18 away games (scoring 25 goals).
Lens vs Monaco Game Information
- Game: Lens (17-10-10) vs Monaco (20-8-9)
- Location: Stade Bollaert-Delelis (Lens)
- Day/Time: Saturday, May 21st, 3:00 p.m. ET
- Lens vs Monaco Live Stream: fubo.tv
Lens vs Monaco Betting Lines
| Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Total | Team Total |
| Lens | +½ -135 | +230 | 3-105o | 1½+150o / 1½-180u |
| AS Monaco | -½ +105 | +105 | 3-125u | 1½-125o / 1½-105u |
| Draw | +285 |
Lens vs Monaco Prediction
The visitors enter this clash as favorites, priced at +105 on the three-way moneyline, according to the latest soccer odds. The goal line is set at three.
Monaco cannot expect to break their opponents down consistently, but their attacking firepower should be the key to this clash. Expect them to do the job with professionalism, scoring at least two goals. Monaco’s goalscoring form and Lens’ amazing home record mean we’d expect this match to go over the total, so if you like betting on the goals market, then the over three goals is amazing.
Monaco will definitely have an attacking approach, but Lens is a tough nut to crack playing on home soil. We will avoid the winners market because Lens has scored at least twice in eight of their last nine Ligue 1 fixtures. Expect them to continue to score.
