Lille vs Lens – News and Probable Lineups

Lens will continue their chase for the Ligue 1 title as they take on fierce rivals Lille at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy this Saturday.

The guests come into the Derby du Nord currently sitting in second place in the Ligue 1 standings, while the hosts find themselves in fifth, trailing by 12 points.

Match overview

With a record of 14 wins, five draws, and eight losses across their 27 matches, Lille occupies fifth place, just behind fourth-placed Lyon on goal difference.

The league now stands as Lille’s sole path to Champions League qualification after their exit from the Europa League, losing 3-0 on aggregate to Aston Villa in the Round of 16 earlier this month.

They responded well from a 2-0 defeat at Villa Park by securing a hard-fought 2-1 away victory against Marseille just before the international break.

Thomas Meunier equalized shortly after halftime to cancel out Ethan Nwaneri’s opener, and Olivier Giroud scored the winner in the 86th minute, achieving a league double over Marseille.

Bruno Genesio’s squad will emerge from the two-week break with a derby match at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, where they have only one victory in their last five home Ligue 1 fixtures (two draws and two losses).

Despite their poor recent home form, Les Dogues can draw confidence from winning their last three home encounters with Lens, including a 1-0 win last season.

Lens returns from the international break with ambitions of clinching their second Ligue 1 title, having last won the championship in the 1997-98 season.

Currently, with 59 points from 27 matches, Pierre Sage’s team sits in second place, just one point behind reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, who have played one more match.

Originally scheduled to face their title rivals next weekend, Lens was disappointed to learn that the fixture has been postponed to allow PSG to rest between the first and second legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool.

Les Sang et Or will aim to stay within striking distance of the leaders when they meet at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in their rescheduled match on May 13.

For now, Lens is focused on Saturday’s significant derby, hoping to achieve consecutive victories following a commanding 5-1 win over Angers before the international break, where Odsonne Edouard scored twice along with goals from Florian Thauvin, Mamadou Sangare, and Matthieu Udol.

The visitors have a chance to achieve a league double over their opponents for the first time since the 2021-22 season, following a comfortable 3-0 win in September’s earlier encounter.

Team News

Lille will be without the injured forward pair of Hamza Igamane and Ousmane Toure.

Defender Tiago Santos is set to return after missing the victory against Marseille due to injury.

Gaetan Perrin, Osame Sahraoui, Benjamin Andre, and Ethan Mbappe have all resumed training, but it is uncertain how many will be available for the matchday squad.

On the side of the visitors, they will still be missing the injured trio of Regis Gurtner, Jonathan Gradit, and Kylian Antonio.

Additionally, there are questions surrounding the fitness of Ruben Aguilar, Samson Baidoo, Amadou Haidara, and Wesley Said.

Abdallah Sima is pushing for a place in the squad after having been a substitute in the win over Angers prior to the international break.

Lille probable starting XI:

Author; Meunier, Ngoy, Mandi, Verdonk; Bentaleb, Bouaddi; Mukau, Haraldsson, Correia; Fernandez-Pardo

Lens probable starting XI:

Risser; Celik, Ganiou, Sarr; Abdulhamid, Sangare, Thomasson, Udol; Thauvin, Sima; Edward

Lens has faced disappointment in their recent visits to Stade Pierre-Mauroy, yet their performances on the road this season have been commendable, having secured seven victories in 13 away league matches.

With this in mind, it seems likely that the title contenders will surpass their rivals in order to maintain pressure on PSG.