The Matchday 28 clash in Ligue 1 between Lens and Saint-Étienne will take place on April 6 at the Bollaert-Delelis Stadium. Lens vs. Saint-Étienne: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Lens
After two consecutive 1-0 victories in the French Championship, the team suffered a similar 0-1 defeat to Lille in the last round. This setback dropped the club to 9th place in the standings, increasing the gap from the European competition zone to 7 points. Notably, matches involving Lens have been the lowest-scoring in the current Ligue 1 season, averaging 2.3 goals per game. It's also worth mentioning that the club has not drawn a single match in the French Championship this calendar year (5 wins, 7 losses).
- One opponent failed to score in 7 of Lens's last 9 Ligue 1 matches.
- The team has not scored more than 1 goal in 6 of their last 7 matches in this tournament.
- The club's uncompromising home streak in the championship stands at 10 matches (4 wins, 6 losses).
Predicted lineup for Lens (5-4-1)
Mathew Ryan – Deiver Machado, Malang Sarr, Facundo Medina, Kylian Antonio, Ruben Aguilar – Neil El Aynaoui, Nampalys Mendy, Florian Sotoca, Wesley Saïd – M'Bala Nzola.
Saint-Étienne
In the previous French Championship match, the club was thrashed 1-6 by PSG. It's noteworthy that Saint-Étienne has conceded at least 4 goals in a match for the 7th time in Ligue 1 since their return to the top division. The club's defense is the worst in the current championship, with 63 goals conceded. As a result of the defeat to the Parisians, the team has moved into the relegation zone in the Ligue 1 standings, dropping to 17th place. Despite these disappointing results, there is a positive aspect in the club's game – they have consistently scored, finding the net in 6 consecutive championship matches.
- Both teams scored in 11 of Saint-Étienne's last 13 Ligue 1 matches.
- The club won their last away match in the championship, having failed to secure 3 points in 20 consecutive away games in this tournament before that (6 draws, 14 losses).
- The team's away goal-scoring streak in the elite French league stands at 7 matches.
Predicted lineup for Saint-Étienne (4-3-3)
Gautier Larsonneur – Leo Petrot, Mickaël Nadé, Dylan Batubinsika, Yvann Maçon – Pierre-Emmanuel Ekwah, Florian Tardieu, Benjamin Bouchouari – Zuriko Davitashvili, Irvin Cardona, Lucas Stassin.
Referee
Romain Lissorgue (France)
Matches – 12 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 45;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 6;
Average fouls per match – 27;
Penalties – 42%.
Match Prediction for Lens vs. Saint-Étienne
The hosts have an excellent opportunity to return to winning ways after their defeat to Lille, as they face one of the main outsiders of the championship – Saint-Étienne. Moreover, Lens is not accustomed to playing for draws, alternating victories with defeats this calendar year. Before their loss in the last round, Will Still's side secured two consecutive victories in the French Championship, defeating strong opponents – Marseille and Rennes.
Against the tournament's underdogs, the hosts should be able to secure a confident win. The visitors have been defensively poor, as noted earlier, which is the main reason for their unenviable position in the standings. Saint-Étienne has lost 5 of their last 8 Ligue 1 matches by a margin of at least 2 goals. In total, they have suffered 16 defeats in the current championship, with only Le Havre (17) and Montpellier (20) losing more. Furthermore, Saint-Étienne has struggled against Lens, losing 4 of their last 5 head-to-head matches in France's top league (1 draw).
Therefore, my prediction: Victory for Lens
