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Lens will welcome Lorient to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Ligue 1 on Friday.
The hosts met Marseille in their previous outing and fell to a 2-1 away loss. Substitute Wesley Saïd had equalized in the 77th minute, but Pape Gueye, assisted by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, restored Marseille's lead in the 85th minute.
The visitors have endured a poor run of form and are winless in their last seven league games, suffering five consecutive defeats. Their winless streak has seen them drop to 17th place in the league table and they have just a one-point lead over last-placed Clermont Foot.
They hosted Toulouse last week, suffering a 2-1 loss. Julien Ponceau broke the deadlock in the 19th minute to give them the lead, but Toulouse bounced back after the break and scored twice in the second half to register a comeback win.
The hosts are hoping to secure European qualification and will need to win their three remaining league games, as they trail fifth-placed Nice by five points. The visitors, meanwhile, are fighting to retain their top-flight status.
Lens vs Lorient Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 30 times across all competitions thus far. They have contested these games closely, with the visitors leading 11-8 in wins and 11 games ending in draws.
- The hosts are unbeaten in their last four meetings against the visitors and the reverse fixture in November ended in a goalless draw.
- Lens have just one win in their last six league games while suffering four defeats. They have scored one goal apiece in their last seven league outings.
- Lorient have lost six of their last seven league games, failing to score in four games in that period.
- The visitors are winless in their last three away games, failing to score in the last two.
Lens vs Lorient Prediction
Les Sang et Or failed to build on their 1-0 win over Clermont Foot roughly a fortnight ago as they lost 2-1 to Marseille last week. It was their fourth loss in six games.
Nonetheless, they have a solid home record in this fixture, winning three of their last four home meetings against the visitors, scoring 12 goals. They will look to build on that form.
Les Merlus have suffered five back-to-back losses in Ligue 1. One positive thing to take away from these losses is that, after failing to score in three games, they have scored one goal apiece in their last two games. Interestingly, three of their six wins in Ligue 1 this season have come in away games in 2024.
Benjamin Mendy, Mohamed Bamba, and Panos Katseris continue to be sidelined while Ayman Kari, who picked up a knee injury against Paris Saint-Germain, is also unlikely to start here.
Considering the contrast in form between the two teams, the hosts are expected to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Lens 2-1 Lorient
Lens vs Lorient Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Lens to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Florian Sotoca to score or assist any time - Yes
