Unbeaten since mid-February, defending champions Lille host Lens in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the round in the French top-flight league. If you want to live-bet on the Ligue 1 action, our sportsbook has got you covered.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and Ligue 1 odds for Lille vs Lens. We’ve plenty of soccer predictions for you to consider.
Lille Great Run of Form
Lille had a particularly underwhelming start to their title defense after an unlikely triumph last season, languishing in mid-table for large parts of the 2021/22 season, but they have since turned their fortunes around, picking up eight wins and 30 points from their last 16 domestic fixtures to move into the race for the top-four finish.
They are now sitting 7th in the standings just four points behind the fourth-placed and one of the surprise packages of the season, Strasbourg. One look at the Ligue 1 table would suggest Lille is having a dreadful season. Overall, Lille doesn’t play much differently than how they set up last season. When Jocelyn Gourvennec replaced Christophe Galtier last summer, it may have been tempting for him to take the team in a different direction, changing up their tactics, or at least the 4-4-2 formation, which was used on many occasions over the last term. Instead, Gourvennec has stuck with his predecessor’s blueprint while adding his own tweaks.
Many changes were made in the summer, and the players needed more time to click and adapt. Every team has ups and downs and Lille winning the title last season was huge. There was much expectation and they tried their best this term, but it’s not easy to transform overnight.
For the 1st time in 15 years, Lille qualified in the Champions League knockout stages but they lost both legs against Chelsea. It’s crucial for the team and their budget to qualify for the European competitions so they won’t have a difficult end of the season trying to leapfrog teams like Monaco, Nice, Strasbourg, or Rennes. Given their recent run, we are tempted to include them in our soccer picks and parlays for this weekend’s action.
Lens: Poor on The road
Lens was promoted to Ligue 1 after the LFP decided to end the seasons of both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 early due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Lens was second on the table in Ligue 2 at the time of the decision. They are a historic club with passionate fans who will be popular with neutrals in Ligue 1. Despite sitting just one point behind Lille in the league standings, they are not likely to challenge for Europe, however, last season they finished seventh while this term they are aiming to finish in the top half of the table.
Other promoted clubs across Europe could learn a lesson from these so-called farmers who are playing a well-organized and contemporary style of football. They are one of the best home teams in their domestic league but they struggled on the road this season winning just five in 15 road games.
Last weekend they pulled off a great upset by beating Nice 3-0 despite playing for 75 minutes without one of the most important defenders Massadio Haidara, red-carded early in the game. If you’re betting online you should always follow these kinds of stubborn teams who can beat anyone in the league or at least score a goal. They are always overpriced because the oddsmakers have problems reading them.
Lille vs Lens Head-to-Head
Since winning their Ligue 1 promotion, Lens played four official matches against Lille. During their 1st season back in the top-flight league, they lost both mutual encounters conceding seven goals and failing to find the back of the net on both occasions. This season, they won the reverse fixture, beating Lille 1-0 on home soil and they managed to knock out the Ligue 1 reigning champs for the Coupe de France on penalties. We’ve seen at least three goals in three of the previous four head-to-heads between the two sides.
Lille vs Lens Game Information
- Game: Lille (12-12-7) vs Lens (13-8-10)
- Location: Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Villeneuve d’Ascq)
- Day/Time: Saturday, April 16, 3:00 m.m. ET
- Live stream: fubo.tv
Lille vs Lens Betting Lines
| Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Total | Team Total |
| Lille | -½ Ev | Ev | 2½ -105o | 1½ +110o
1½ -140u |
| Lens | +½ -130 | +285 | 2½ -125u | ½ -200o
½ +160u |
| Draw | +245 |
Lille vs Lens Predictions
The hosts enter this clash as favorites and priced at +100 on the three-way moneyline according to the latest soccer odds while the goal line is set at 2½.
Lille won their previous six home head-to-heads against Lens covering the spread on four occasions. They are unbeaten in their last eight Ligue 1 fixtures winning four in the process and they are desperate to win this game and maintain the pressure on the European spots. We expect them to have enough and win this game but Lens is a tough nut to crack, so don’t go big on this bet.
In terms of goals, we’ve seen a maximum of two goals in Lille’s three of the last four home domestic fixtures, and given Lens struggles to find the back of the net in their away games we expect this game to stay under.
