Lille – Lens: Double chance draw

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March 28, 2024

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Our pick: Lille – Lens: Double chance draw

29.03.2024 21:00

The twenty-seventh round of Ligue 1, after the last national break before the European Championships in Germany in June, is framed by two big headliners. The first one will take place in the north of France, where we will see the traditional “Derby du Nord” (translated as Derby of the North) between Lille and Lens. The first match this year ended in a 1-1 draw. Which team will be happier this time and move closer to the coveted Champions League places?

Two weeks ago, Lille played a very good match at the field of second-placed Brest. However, a number of chances were converted by coach Paul Fonseca’s charges into only one goal, scored by none other than Jonathan David, for whom it was his 80th competitive goal in the red and white colours of the northern French club. However, Lille cashed in with ten minutes to go and for the seventh time this season left an away game with just a point after a 1-1 draw. On Friday, the ‘Dogs’ return to their much-loved home ground, where they last lost at the end of September, and since then have gone unbeaten in thirteen competitive matches across all competitions (9-4-0), keeping a clean sheet on eight occasions in that time!

After beating Brest 1-0 at home in an important game, Lens failed to win their next home game just a week later, losing 1-3 to a struggling Nice. The “Sang et Or” were sunk by the tragic individual mistakes made by the defensive players (Medina, Mendy and Khusanov), which not only decided the aforementioned defeat, but also the drop to sixth place, where Lens is on the heels of Marseille, Rennes and Reims. Coach Franck Haise’s team is thus definitely not going to travel to the field of a very unpleasant regional rival, especially in view of the last ten matches played in Lille, in which Lens lost eight times (1-1-8).

What to bet on?

Lille are considered a legitimate favourite given their recent results and very good home record. However, the games immediately after the national break, when the teams were largely not together, tend to be tricky in many ways, so I’ll opt for a bet on a draw at half-time or at the end of the game. The last two games played between them in the last calendar year ended 1-1, and such a result would not be surprising in Friday’s pre-game. It is also quite likely that the home side will break the half-time tie after the change of sides in their favour.

Confidence:

7/10

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