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Round 21 of the Ligue 1 will feature the game between hosts Lens (13-6-1) and the visiting Nice (7-7-6). It’s time to check our Ligue 1 odds series and read our Lens-Nice prediction and pick.
The Eaglets are on a three-game unbeaten streak in the French Football League and will enter this game fresh off of a victory over Lille thanks to a 34th-minute goal by Gaetan Laborde off of a beautiful assist from Badredine Bouanani. Nice is 10th on the standings with 28 points earned thus far.
The Blood and Gold enter the match acquiring 45 points from their opening 20 matches. Lens does not look to lose momentum, as they have a 12- game unbeaten streak across all contests. Nice trails closely to Ligue 1 champion PSG by just three points.
Here are the Lens-Nice soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Ligue 1 Odds: Lens-Nice Odds
RC Lens: -145
OGC Nice: +440
Draw: +250
Over 2.5 Goals: +106
Under 2.5 Goals: -130
How to Watch Lens vs. Nice
TV: DAZN
Stream: Amazon Prime
Time: 3 PM ET / 12PM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Lens Can Beat Nice
Lens continues to roll and is consistently playing at a high level. As a top-heavy team, the team excels when everyone plays at a balanced pace and level. Lois Openda is their best star, with nine goals and one assist earned so far. Florian Sotoca, Wesley Said, Seko Fofana, Przemyslaw Frankowski, and Alexis Claude-Maurice also share goal-scoring duties for the team. Sotoca, Fofana, and David de Costa are the team's main playmakers. Five other players have also contributed two goals each for the team.
The team also logged 33 goals and 25 assists throughout the season. This comes from a dominant ball possession of 58.4%, with 87.1 accurate passing percentages. The team also pounces on the attack, making 14.1 total shots, 7.7 successful dribbles, and 5.8 corners as game averages. On defense, they have secured nine clean sheets and ranks as one of the top teams that commit the least errors, penalties, and yellow cards per game. On average, they win their ground duels 49.5% of the time and aerial duels on a 53.8% clip.
Franck Haise's side will be without the services of Jimmy Cabot, Adam Buksa, and Wuilker Farinez, who are out for their injuries. Opendda, Sotova, and Claude-Maurice will be at the helm of Len's attack. Lens could win this game if they capitalize on scoring chances and control possession. Moreover, they must defend their side well and not allow opportunities, especially since the team just concedes 0.7 goals per game and 14 goals overall this season. Jonathan gradit, Kevin Danso, and Facundo Medina are the possible backline starters, so they should continue holding their ground and make tackles and deflections against Nice's scoring opprotunities.
Why Nice Can Beat Lens
Francke Haise’s side carries some motivation to win over Lens, especially since they have an edge on head-to-head matchups. Their last five fixtures showed three wins to Nice. In recent games, they have shown scrappiness and disorder, like their early Coupe de France exit versus Le Puy and poor run in club-friendly games versus Tottenham Hotspur, Atalanta, and Girona.
With the coming of the second month of 2023, Nice should also work on its offensive set-ups. In 20 games played this season, they have only found the back of the net 23 times but conceded 20, which is a mere +3 goal differential. They are also having a 50.5% ball possession rate, and are making 11.4 total shots and 4.0 corners per game, so they really need some serious upgrades in the offense. Forwards Gaetan Laborde, Andy Delort, and Nicolas Pepe have shown potential with 18 goals combined. However, they should look to score more goals if they want to succeed, while Aaron Ramsey, Hicham Boudaoui, and Lhepren Thuram should try to find their composure in the midfield.
The squad is also expected to adhere to its 4-3-3 positioning. They will have to play these games without Marcin Burka. If they look to improve their 10th-place standing currently, a win against the second-placers might just be the jump start they need. Les Aiglons should also expect a more offensive game from the Lens, so Dante, Jean-Clair Todibo, Melvin Bard, and Jordan Lotomba should strive to make a defensive wall for Nice.
Final Lens-Nice Prediction & Pick
Nice continues to show signs of progress, but Lens holds the edge as they have a much finer form, class, and discipline. Stade Bollaert-Delelis will surely support its home team, so expect them that they will entertain their home fans.
Final Lens-Nice Prediction & Pick: RC Lens (-145)
