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AS Monaco play host to RC Lens at the Stade Louis II on Saturday in matchday three of Ligue 1.
The hosts head into the game off the back of a 1-0 defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk in their UEFA Champions League qualification clash. Meanwhile, the visitors played out an entertaining 2-2 draw against Saint-Etienne last Sunday.
AS Monaco suffered a blow in their chase for a place in the Champions League. They fell to a 1-0 first-leg defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk in the final round of the qualifier.
Brazilian midfielder Pedrinho scored the only goal of the game in the 19th minute to hand the Miners a vital first-leg victory.
Back at home, AS Monaco suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Lorient in their most recent Ligue 1 outing.
This followed an opening-day 1-1 draw against FC Nantes two Fridays ago.
The Monégasques will now hope the third time is the charm as they go in search of their first league win of the season.
Meanwhile, RC Lens head into Saturday’s game following a 2-2 draw against Saint-Etienne.
This followed an opening-day 1-1 draw against Stade Rennais at the Roazhon Park Stadium two Sundays ago.
Stade Bollaert-Delelis’s men are unbeaten in their last five outings across all competitions, picking up two wins and three draws.
AS Monaco vs RC Lens Head-To-Head
AS Monaco have been dominant in the history of this fixture, claiming 13 wins from their previous 33 encounters. RC Lens have picked up seven wins, while 13 games have ended in draws.
AS Monaco Form Guide (all competitions): L-L-W-D-W
RC Lens Form Guide (all competitions): D-D-W-W-D
AS Monaco vs RC Lens Team News
AS Monaco
Monaco will be without the services of Benjamin Lecomte, who is presently nursing a muscle injury. Alexander Nubel is also a doubt for the game, having missed the game against Shakhtar Donetsk due to injury.
Injured: Benjamin Lecomte
Doubtful: Alexander Nubel
Suspended: None
RC Lens
Stade Bollaert-Delelis will be unable to call up the services of Steven Fortes, Mamadou Camara and Charles Boli who have all been ruled out due to injuries. Massadio Haidara is on the comeback trail and will be available while Wesley Said will be rested for another week after his return from injury.
Injured: Steven Fortes, Mamadou Camara, Charles Boli
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Wesley Said
AS Monaco vs RC Lens Predicted XI
AS Monaco Predicted XI (4-3-3): Radoslaw Majecki; Djibril Sidibé, Ruben Aguilar, Axel Disasi, Ismail Jakobs; Aurelien Tchouameni, Gelson Martins, Aleksandr Golovin; Gelson Martins, Wissam Ben Yedder, Kevin Volland
Lens predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Jean-Louis Leca, Jonathan Gradit, Kevin Danso, Facundo Medina, Jonathan Clauss, Cheick Doucoure, Seko Fofana, Deiver Machado, Gael Kakuta, Ignatius Ganago, Simon Banza
AS Monaco vs RC Lens Prediction
After picking up two wins and one draw from their opening three games, AS Monaco appear to have run out of steam in recent weeks. They have lost their last two games and face a serious risk of missing out on a place in the Champions League.
While Lens are without a win, they have been solid in their opening two games. We expect them to put up a fight against the hosts, but we predict Monaco will claim a narrow victory.
Prediction: AS Monaco 2-1 RC Lens
