The match of the 19th round of Ligue 1 between Marseille and Lens will take place on 24 january at Stade Vélodrome. Marseille vs Lens: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Marseille
Marseille visited Angers in the previous round and routed the opponent 5:2. It was already the seventh big win in the current campaign. Thanks to this result the club became the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 41 goals to date. Also the team’s matches have been the highest scoring in the championship – on average 3.3 goals are scored. Currently Marseille sit third in the table and are eight points behind leaders Lens.
- The team did not lose in 7 of the previous 9 Ligue 1 matches – 5 wins and 2 draws.
- Marseille scored at least two goals in 10 of the last 13 home league matches.
- Three or more goals were scored in 10 of the 13 previous home games for Marseille in Ligue 1.
Potential Marseille Lineup (3-4-2-1)*
Marseille: Gerónimo Rulli – Leonardo Balerdi, Facundo Medina, Michael Murillo – Emerson, Bilal Nadir, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Timothy Weah – Hamed Traore, Mason Greenwood – Amine Gouiri.
Midfielder Emerson will miss the game due to injury, and midfielder Angel Gomes is suspended. Note the signings of midfielder Quinten Timber and defender Mehdi Benatia.
Lens
Lens struggled but secured a 1:0 home win over Auxerre in the previous round. The club has kept a clean sheet in three consecutive matches. In addition, Lens have an eight-match winning run in the league. Interestingly, with two victories in the French Cup included, the club has achieved 10 consecutive official wins, a run not seen since 1960. Lens continue to lead the competition, one point ahead of PSG. The club also have the best defensive record – just 13 goals conceded.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in 5 of the last 7 league matches for the club.
- Lens scored at least two goals in 6 of their last 7 league matches.
- The visitors have a four-match winning run in away Ligue 1 fixtures.
Potential Lens Lineup (3-4-2-1)*
Lens: Roben Risser – Malang Sarr, Samson Baidoo, Pierre Ganiu – Matthieu Udol, Adrien Thomasson, Andrija Bulatovic, Saoud Abdelhamid – Wesley Said, Florian Toven – Ryan Fofana.
Out through injury are goalkeeper Régis Gurtner, defenders Jonathan Gradit and Joanner Chavez, and midfielder Amadou Haidara.
Referee
Benoit Bastien (France)
Matches – 10 (Ligue 1, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (Including Second Yellows) – 31;
Average Yellow/Red Cards Per Match – 3.1;
Red Cards – 4;
Fouls Per Match – 21;
Penalties – 50%.
Marseille Vs Lens: Match Prediction
This is the central fixture of the 19th round. It is vital for the visitors not to drop points in this confrontation, because if they do they will, with high probability, lose the lead. At the same time the hosts need three points to reduce the gap to first place. Therefore both teams will try to play as actively as possible in attack, since sitting back in defense makes little sense. We expect the opponents to exchange productive strikes.
Marseille scored in 12 of their previous 13 home Ligue 1 matches. However the team also conceded in 4 of the last 6 home league games. The visitors have scored in eight consecutive Ligue 1 matches. Lens also conceded in 5 of their last 6 away league matches. In addition, both teams scored in 3 of the last 4 head-to-head meetings in Ligue 1.
Prediction: Both teams to score
* The starting lineup for each team is the one used in its previous match in this tournament.