Lens are still in with a chance of snatching a top-five finish in Ligue 1 this season, currently sitting seventh and just three points behind fifth-placed Nice with four games remaining.
Nantes visit the Stade Bollaert-Delelis this Saturday, looking to climb two places in the table and three points for the visitors could bring them to within one points of Lens.
Match preview
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Franck Haise's side enter this match in decent form, having lost just once in their last seven outings, including a four-game unbeaten run ahead of Saturday's match.
That form was continued with a 1-1 draw against French champions Paris Saint-Germain last time out, when Corentin Jean equalised late on at the Parc des Princes, despite the visitors playing much of the second half with 10 players.
Lens had to endure a lot of pressure in that match, but they will have the belief that they can be the side to dominate Saturday's match, especially considering their good form on home soil.
This weekend's hosts have netted 31 times while conceding just 16 goals on their own patch, and they have averaged nearly five shots on target per game, which only Rennes, PSG and Lyon can better this season.
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Nantes go into this match in mixed form, having been unable to secure back-to-back victories since February, missing two opportunities to do so since then, but they will have a chance to record consecutive wins this weekend, after a 5-3 triumph against Bordeaux last time out.
A thrilling eight-goal encounter saw Nantes have to come from 2-0 down to level the scoreline just after half time, before Bordeaux regained the lead in the 67th minute, but goals from Moses Simon, Osman Bukari and a second strike for Kalifa Coulibaly secured maximum points for the hosts.
Antoine Kombouare's side are heading for a mid-table finish in Ligue 1 this season, which does show significant improvement from the previous campaign when they finished 18th but just survived the drop by winning their relegation playoff match on the away goals rule against Toulouse.
A ninth-placed finish in 2018 was their last best position and so they have the opportunity to better that this year, with a potential three points on Saturday going a long way to achieving a higher spot in the table.
An entertaining five-goal clash occurred in the last meeting between these two teams in December, when Nantes just edged a win thanks to Simon's 90th-minute winner.
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Team News
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Centre-back Facundo Medina and midfielder Patrick Berg will be absent from Lens' squad this weekend due to injury, but there is no new injury concerns for Haise to deal with.
However, Kevin Danso will have to be replaced in the heart of defence after he was sent off last time out against PSG, potentially giving an opportunity to youngster Brayann Pereira to come into the starting 11.
David Costa, Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga and Florian Sotoca will continue to make up the front three for the home side, looking to add to their 17 goals between them this season.
Nantes will be without a whole host of players due to injury, including Charles Traore, Nicolas Pallois, Pedro Chirivella and Roli Pereira de Sa.
Winger Marco Regis Coco could return to the side after serving his suspension for receiving two yellow cards against Marseille earlier this month, but he could be kept out of the team after Randal Kolo Muani put in a strong performance with two assists last time out.
Wylan Cyprien and Samuel Moutoussamy are certain to remain in the middle of the pitch, while Ludovic Blas operates in a slightly higher midfield role, in the number 10 position.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Leca; Wooh, Pereira, Gradit; Frankowski, Fofana, Doucoure, Clauss; Costa, Kalimuendo-Muinga, Sotoca
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Merlin, Girotto, Castelletto, Corchia; Cyprien, Moutoussamy; Simon, Blas, Kolo; Coulibaly
We say: Lens 2-1 Nantes
Both sides are in similar form, with Lens showing to be slightly stronger in recent weeks, which is why they should be able to edge their visitors to three points this weekend, especially being on home soil.
Lens will take confidence from their four-game unbeaten run, while Nantes were lifted by their 5-3 win last time out, which suggests that both teams are likely to get on the scoresheet.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Lens win with a probability of 56.03%. A draw had a probability of 23.6% and a win for Nantes had a probability of 20.33%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lens win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.92%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.34%) and 2-1 (9.75%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.24%), while for a Nantes win it was 0-1 (6.48%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 4.6% likelihood.
