On Thursday, Lorient will exhaust all possible tactics to qualify for the last eight in the Coupe de France for the first time since 2015-16 when they host Lens at Stade du Moustoir. Check out our Coupe de France odds series where we make our Lorient-Lens prediction and pick.

This will be Les Merlus' first time to be included in the Round of 16 of this French competition since losing 2-1 to Bordeaux way back in 2016-17. Lorient is currently seventh in the Ligue 1 table, 10 points behind this game's visitors.

Lens reached this stage of the Copue Charles Simon tournament for a second straight campaign. They lost 4-2 at home to Monaco last season. Lens is currently third in the French top flight, eight points behind domestic leaders Paris Saint-Germain and tied with points with second-place Marseille.

Here are the Lorient-Lens soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

Coupe de France Odds: Lorient-LensOdds

Lorient: +260

Lens: -110

Draw: +240

Over 2.5 Goals: -118

Under 2.5 Goals: -118

How to Watch Lorient vs. Lens

TV: Fox Deportes, Fox Sports 2

Stream: Foxsports.com, Fox Sports App,fuboTV

Time: 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT

*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Lorient Can Beat Lens

Despite having unfavorable results in the last two games, the 2022-23 campaign for the Brittany-based club has been fairly encouraging. The Merlucciidaes are currently seventh in the French table, picking up 36 points from 10 wins, six draws, and six losses.

Lorient extended their unbeaten run at home to three straight matches last Sunday after picking a scoreless draw with Angers. That match with last-place Angers was a missed opportunity, as Lorient pulled off 13 total shots but six were off target while five were blocked.

The most optimistic thing that manager Regis Le Bris could take is that his men secured a clean sheet for just a second time in the 2022-23 French domestic campaign.

Reaching this stage of the Coupe de France required a lot of composure. They thrashed amateur side La Chataigneraie 6-0 in their first game. However, Lorient allowed Joris Sainati from Ligue 2 side Bastia to equalize in the 81st minute of the Round of 32. After a 1-1 tie in 120 minutes, Les Merlus dominated the penalty shootout, winning 4-1.

For Le Bris' side, they will have  Laurent Abergel, Julien Laporte, Yvon Mvogo, and Theo Le Bris on the Lorient treatment table. They will also have to struggle in filling in the hole left by leading goalscorer Terem Moffi, who has left the club to join Nice on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

Lorient hopes to replicate their results way back in 2001-2002 when they won their lone Coupe de France title in that year. Romain Faivre, Julien Ponceau, Yoann Cathline, and Ahmadou Bamba Dieng will have a lot to do in the front to provide goals for their club.

Why Lens Can Beat Lorient

Racing Club de Lens has come out of the blocks quickly since the resumption of the football campaign in France after the World Cup. Their run of just one defeat in nine games in all contests highlights the confidence currently stemming from their ranks, which makes them a contender for the Ligue 1 silverware alongside PSG and Marseille.

However, the club's last three games in the domestic campaign have struck them painfully, as they are now winless in three consecutive league fixtures after a 1-1 deadlock with Stade Brestois 29 last Sunday.

Lens still holds an impressive showing while playing away. Their last defeat while playing as visitors came in November when Lille's Jonathan David gave them the match's sole goal in the 44th minute. Les Sang et Or still carry an eight-game unbeaten streak across matches in Ligue 1 and Coupe de France.

In this campaign, the Blood and Gold hope to hoist another silverware for the club. They defeated Linas Montlhery 2-0 in their first cup game of the season before concluding the match with Brest with a 3-1 scoreline. The visitors made it to this stage of the domestic cup in the previous season but suffered a 4-2 loss to Monaco.

Wuilker Farinez, Jimmy Cabot, and Adam Buksa remain unavailable because of their injuries. In addition, Alexis Claude-Maurice, Steven Fortes, Wesley Said, and Massadio Haidara are also absent on the pitch. Kevin Danso is also serving his suspension in this game. Franck Haise hopes that Lois Openda will find success in putting the ball in the back of the net, while Adrien Thomasson and Florian Sotoca will serve as wide wingers to open more attacking opportunities.

Final Lorient-Lens Prediction & Pick

Lorient has won just one of their last seven home matches, and their struggles might continue here. Lens' form has dropped a little but they will break away in transition over Lorient's paltry defense. They are unbeaten in their last eight away games and should come out on top.

Final Lorient-Lens Prediction & Pick: Lens (-110)