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This Sunday sees a Ligue 1 clash between Lens and Saint-Etienne at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Both Lens and Saint-Etienne drew their opening match of the 2021-22 campaign, coming out with 1-1 draws against Rennes and Lorient respectively.
So will one of these sides be able to pick up a victory here, or will the match turn out to be another stalemate?
Lens were the surprise package of the 2020-21 Ligue 1 campaign, as the newly-promoted side pushed for a European qualification spot throughout and ended up finishing in 7th place.
Unlike many Ligue 1 sides, Lens have not changed their manager during the summer, and they haven’t lost any key players either, giving them hope for another strong season.
Their 1-1 draw on the opening weekend with Rennes was a good way to start their season, as Rennes were one of the sides who finished above them last season.
Saint-Etienne meanwhile finished the 2020-21 campaign with mixed form, but four wins in their final eight games meant that they ended in a respectable 11th place.
Claude Puel’s side will be hopeful of improving on that finish in the current season, but a 1-1 draw at home with Lorient – who struggled last season – wasn’t the best way to start things.
Lens vs Saint-Etienne Head-to-Head
These two sides have clashed 47 times historically across all competitions. Lens have 21 wins to their name as opposed to Saint-Etienne's 13 wins, and there have been 13 draws between the two sides.
Last season saw Lens do the double over Saint-Etienne, the latest game being a 2-3 win thanks to goals from Florian Sotoca, Arnaud Kalimuendo and David Costa.
Lens form guide (competitive games only): L-L-L-D-D
Saint-Etienne form guide (competitive games only): W-W-D-L-D
Lens vs Saint-Etienne Team News
Lens
Versatile defender Massadio Haidara is a doubt for Lens in this match, but outside of that they have a full strength squad.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Massadio Haidara
Suspended: None
Saint-Etienne
Charles Abi and Miguel Trauco are expected to miss this game due to personal reasons while Aimen Moueffek is ruled out with an injury.
Injured: Aimen Moueffek
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Charles Abi, Miguel Trauco
Lens vs Saint-Etienne Predicted XI
Lens predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Jean-Louis Leca, Jonathan Gradit, Steven Fortes, Facundo Medina, Jonathan Clauss, Cheick Doucoure, Seko Fofana, Deiver Machado, Gael Kakuta, Ignatius Ganago, Simon Banza
Saint-Etienne predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Etienne Green, Yvann Macon, Harold Moukoudi, Mickael Nade, Timothee Kolodziejczak, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Denis Bouanga, Mahdi Camara, Yvan Neyou, Adil Aouchiche, Wahbi Khazri
Lens vs Saint-Etienne Prediction
This looks like a close match to call on paper, but Lens looked good against Rennes last weekend and probably have a slight edge when it comes to attacking talent.
Saint-Etienne have the capability to win this game, but they’ll need to work hard defensively to do it – and it’s tricky to see them keeping the likes of Kakuta, Clauss and Banza quiet for too long.
Prediction: Lens 2-0 Saint-Etienne
