Lille eye back-to-back victories in clash against Lens.
Lens vs
LOSC Lille
As RC Lens and LOSC Lille prepare to rekindle their fierce rivalry in the 99th Derby of the North, both teams enter the match tied on points, setting the stage for an electrifying top-of-the-table showdown at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis this Saturday night.
Lens
Fifth-placed Lens finally ended a five-game winless streak [DDDDW] last weekend with a convincing 2-0 away victory over ten-time Ligue 1 champions Saint-Étienne. Przemysław Frankowski’s early strike [20'] and substitute Rémy Lascary’s goal [79'] secured all three points, propelling Lens into the top five.
This will be the 99th Derby of the North between Lens and Lille in Ligue 1, with Lens having won 28 of the previous encounters while Lille has secured 37 victories. Lens have struggled against their rivals, losing 12 of their last 21 league games against Lille [3W, 6D, 12L], a stark contrast to their record of just one loss in their first eight meetings in the 21st century [3W, 4D, 1L].
Additionally, Lens haven't been particularly great at home against Lille, managing only a 20%-win rate on their own turf in this fixture since the start of the millennium [3W, 8D, 4L]. However, they are unbeaten in their last three home matches against Lille [1W, 2D, 0L]. In addition, impeccable defending in front of their own crowd has helped Lens keep five clean sheets in their last six Ligue 1 fixtures.
Manager Will Still is expected to field the 3—4—1—2 formation that proved successful against Saint-Étienne, with Florian Sotoca and M’Bala Nzola leading the attack. Injuries remain a concern for Lens, with Neil El Aynaoui and Deiver Machado among the eight players ruled out for this encounter.
LOSC Lille
On the other hand, Lille were unable to overcome Monaco in their previous Ligue 1 match, despite playing with a numerical advantage for more than half an hour after Jordan Teze was sent off. The draw left Lille unbeaten in the last four Ligue 1 games, having earned 14 points.
However, Lille bounced back quickly, securing an impressive 3-1 comeback victory against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday. Manager Bruno Génésio lauded his team’s performance, saying, “This victory and this performance are better than the one against Real Madrid,” attributing the win largely to his impactful substitutions.
Interestingly, this will be the first time since September 2010 that Lille, who are right above Lens, face each other in Ligue 1 while tied on points. Jonathan David, who bagged a brace against Atlético de Madrid, is expected to start up front, flanked by Edon Zhegrova and Matias Fernandez-Pardo in a 3—4—3 formation.
Injuries continue to plague Lille as well, with Rémy Cabella, who was forced off against Atletico Madrid in the 16th minute, joining eight others on the sidelines.
