The Ligue 1 round 25 match between Racing Club de Lens and Metz will take place on 8 March at the Bollaert-Delelis Stadium. Racing Club de Lens vs Metz: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Racing Club de Lens
The team have failed to win two league games in a row for the first time this season. At home, they lost to Monaco (2:3), and then drew away at Strasbourg (1:1). One slip-up was enough for the club to lose top spot, and the gap to Paris Saint-Germain is now four points. It is important to add that Racing Club de Lens are not under any immediate threat in second place, as the lead over Lyon is eight points. We should also note that the club have the second-best defence in the league after the Parisians, having conceded only 21 goals.
- The team have won 11 of their previous 14 Ligue 1 matches (1 draw and 2 defeats).
- Racing Club de Lens opened the scoring in 11 of their last 14 league games.
- At home, the club have 10 wins in their previous 11 Ligue 1 matches (1 defeat).
Potential Racing Club de Lens Lineup (3-4-2-1)*
Robin Risser – Malang Sarr, Pierre Ganiou, Nidal Celik – Adrien Thomasson, Mamadou Sangare, Mathieu Udol, Saud Abdulhamid – Wesley Said, Florian Thauvin – Odsonne Edouard.
Metz
The team hosted Brest last round and lost 0:1. It was their third straight league defeat, as well as a second consecutive match without scoring. Overall, the club have now gone 12 consecutive Ligue 1 games without a win (2 draws and 10 defeats). Metz remain bottom of the standings, and the gap to safety in 15th place is now 11 points. The club also remain the worst defensive side in the league, having conceded 53 goals.
- The club have scored only one goal in their last five Ligue 1 matches.
- Away from home, Metz are on a six-match winless run in the league (1 draw and 5 defeats).
- The team conceded at least two goals in 11 of their previous 14 away Ligue 1 matches.
Potential Metz Lineup (5-4-1)*
Jonathan Fischer – Koffi Kouao, Sadibou Sane, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Maxime Colin, Boubacar Traore – Georgiy Tsitaishvili, Alpha Toure, Beliv Munongo, Bouna Sarr – Habib Diallo.
Referee
Mathieu Vernice (France)
Matches officiated – 9 (Ligue 1, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 40;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;
Red cards shown – 4;
Fouls per match on average – 29;
Penalties – 22%.
Racing Club de Lens vs Metz: Match Prediction
The hosts should beat the tournament outsiders comfortably on paper, but that is only in the pre-match calculations. We think the visitors will be able to give the favourites a real fight. Racing Club de Lens could wobble after two straight slip-ups, with the players starting to feel the pressure after losing first place, and making up four points on a Paris Saint-Germain side in excellent form would be unrealistic. That is why Metz have a chance at least to avoid a heavy defeat, and they still have something to play for in the standings.
We should note that in their last 12 Ligue 1 matches, Racing Club de Lens have recorded only two big-margin wins. Even at home, the club have not won by more than a two-goal margin in 10 of their previous 12 league games this season. Metz concede plenty, but they have avoided a heavy defeat in 13 of their last 15 Ligue 1 matches. It is also interesting that in the first round, Racing Club de Lens lost to this opponent away from home 0:2. In addition, across the last 10 head-to-head meetings in the top flight of French football, Metz have suffered only one defeat by a margin of more than two goals.
Prediction: Metz (+2)
* For each team, the starting lineup listed is the one used in their previous match in this competition.
