Preview: Strasbourg vs. Lens – prediction, team news, lineups
Sports Mole preview Wednesday’s Ligue 1 clash between Strasbourg and Lens, including predictions, team news and possible line-ups.
After a resounding victory over Paris Saint-Germain on New Year’s Day, Lens will look to further close the gap to top spot in the Ligue 1 table on Wednesday when they make the trip to face Strasbourg.
A 3-1 defeat of the league leaders saw Franck HaiseThe side move within four points of the summit and they come into Wednesday’s competition after winning the Coupe de France, while their hosts lost in a penalty shootout in their draw on Friday .
Match preview
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Strasbourg head into Wednesday’s game with Lens desperate for a positive result in their first game without Julien Stephan at the helm, as they find themselves 19th in Ligue 1 having won just one game in the French top flight so far this season.
That triumph came in early October, and Le Racing have managed just three points in seven outings since, having been unable to turn around their form since returning from the World Cup break despite a number of performances resilient.
They first traveled to face league leaders Paris Saint-Germain after Christmas and were denied a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw by an injury-time penalty, as Kylian Mbappe converted on the spot to snatch all three points from their hosts, before aiming to bounce back at home against Troyes in the New Year.
Led 2-0, Racing equalized Habib Diallo and Ismael Doukourebut they would leave empty-handed as Xavier Chavalerin scored the decisive goal 10 minutes from time, and following a Coupe de France exit at the hands of Angers on penalties after a goalless draw on Friday, Stephan’s time at the helm came to an end.
Now in search of a permanent manager and four points from safety, having picked up just 11 in their opening 17 games, Strasbourg will be desperate to find their way back to winning ways on Wednesday but will face a test particularly tough against one of the in-form Ligue 1 sides.
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Lens will make the trip with plenty of confidence, having come within four points of the top of the table in eye-catching form, winning six of their last seven Ligue 1 games and drawing the other.
After an unbeaten start to the campaign, Les Sang et Or suffered a narrow defeat at Lille in October, and they have not lost in the French top flight since, beating first Montpellier, Marseille, Toulouse, Angers and Clermont before world Cup. Break.
Franck Haise’s side returned to action with a trip to Nice, but they were only able to add a point to their tally after drawing and losing seven points from leaders Paris Saint-Germain as a result, before facing the ordeal of a home game against the Parisians in their last league outing.
Przemyslaw Frankowski gave Lens an early lead in this match, and after Hugo Ekitike quickly attracted the level of visitors, Openda Laws restores the advantage to the Blood and Gold on the half hour and Alexis Claude Maurice added a third early in the second half to seal a memorable win and cut the league-high deficit to four points.
After a 2-0 victory in the Coupe de France against Linas-Montlhery, with Seko Fofana and Florian Sotoca on the scoresheet, Haise’s men will be aiming to put more pressure on the defending champions with a 13th league win of the term in what has been an eye-catching season as we approach the halfway mark.
Strasbourg Ligue 1 form:
Lens Ligue 1 form:
Team News
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Experienced French striker Kevin Gameirowho has scored five Ligue 1 goals so far this season, will push to return early on Wednesday, having been reduced to a substitute appearance last time out, with Ludovic Ajorque preferred in the first two.
Whoever will be deployed will join star Habib Diallo, who scored his seventh league goal of the season in the loss to Troyes after netting 11 goals in the French top flight last time out.
In the continued absence of Maxime Le Marchand, Gerzino Nyamsi should join again Alexandre Djiku in the middle of the defense, with Sanjin Pric and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde ready to play an important role at the base of the midfield.
Lens are expected to enter the game with the same XI that started in their impressive win over Paris Saint-Germain, with Medina Faculty, Kevin Danso and Jonathan Gradit again set to line up in a back three.
Their line will be led by summer arrival Lois Openda, who scored her eighth league goal of the season in the triumph, with support from Alexis Claude Maurice and Florian Sotoca, who contributed six goals and six assists in Ligue 1 this season.
Seko Fofana remains a key man in the engine room, and he will once again feature alongside Salis Abdul Samedwho has played every minute of top-flight action so far this season, as has Danso at full-back and Brice Samba between the sticks.
Possible starting line-up from Strasbourg:
salts; Doukoure, Djiku, Nyamsi, Perrin; Bellegarde, Prcic, Diarra; Thomasson; Diallo, Gameiro
Lens possible starting formation:
Samba; Medina, Danso, Gradit; Frankowski, Fofana, Samed, Haidara; Sotoca, Openda, Mauritius
They say: Strasbourg 0-2 Lens
The two teams are on completely opposite paths, and we can only envisage another victory for the second who is at the top of his game against a Strasbourg team who have managed only one victory in the league all season. .
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Trick
Our expert forecasting partners at Sportita.com predict more than 1.5 goals in this game. Click here to find out what else they predict for this game and for more of their proven football tips.More than 1.5: data