The Matchday 13 clash in Ligue 1 between Reims and Lens will take place on November 29 at the Stade Auguste-Delaune. Reims vs. Lens: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Predicted lineups for Reims vs. Lens
Reims (4-5-1): Yehvann Diouf – Sergio Akieme, Thibault De Smet, Cedric Kipre, Noah Sanzui – Amadou Kone, Valentin Atangana Edoa, Junya Ito, Marshall Munetsi, Keito Nakamura – Oumar Diakite.
Lens (3-4-3): Brice Samba – Facundo Medina, Kevin Danso, Malang Sarr – Deiver Machado, Adrien Thomasson, Hamzat Ojediran, Przemyslaw Frankowski – Florian Sotoca, David Pereira da Costa, M'Bala Nzola.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Reims
The club ended a six-match uncompromising streak in Ligue 1 (3 wins, 3 losses) by drawing 1-1 with Lyon in the previous round. As a result of dropping points against Lyon, Reims slipped to 8th in the French league standings, just one point away from the European competition zone. At home, the club has earned fewer points this season than away (8 versus 10), with a zero goal difference in home matches – 9:9.
- Both teams scored in 9 of Reims' last 11 Ligue 1 matches.
- At least three goals were scored in 8 of the team's last 11 Ligue 1 games.
- The club has not lost in 6 of its last 8 home matches in this tournament (4 wins, 2 draws).
Lens
The team suffered its third loss in four recent Ligue 1 matches (1 win), falling 1-3 to Marseille in the previous game. Consequently, Lens dropped to 9th in the standings, trailing Reims by one point. Notably, Lens' matches are among the lowest-scoring in Ligue 1 this season, averaging 2.1 goals per game. Additionally, the team has failed to keep a clean sheet in four consecutive French league matches.
- No more than two goals were scored in 9 of Lens' last 12 matches in the French top flight.
- The team has not lost in 12 of its last 15 Ligue 1 matches (5 wins, 7 draws).
- The club has not scored more than once in 8 of its last 10 away matches in the league.
Reims vs. Lens: Match Prediction
Reims managed to add to their points tally in the last round, unlike the visitors. However, Luka Elsner's side created fewer scoring chances than their opponents. Meanwhile, Lens, despite losing their previous match, had twice as many shots on goal against Marseille and outperformed them in xG. Considering Reims will have home support, the chances of success are roughly equal. Bookmakers also see no clear favorite in the upcoming encounter.
Nonetheless, I will give a slight edge to the visitors. Lens has only lost away to the league leaders PSG this Ligue 1 season, and even then, it was a narrow 0-1 defeat. Before that, they collected points in six consecutive away league matches. Moreover, the team has a strong record against Reims, having never lost to them in Ligue 1 in the new millennium (5 wins, 5 draws).
I believe that this time, the visitors, who were unlucky in the last round, will manage to take points from Reims. My prediction: Lens to win or draw