Newly-promoted Angers kick-start their 2024-25 campaign in Ligue 1 with an encounter against Lens at Stade Raymond Kopa on Sunday afternoon.
The two teams meet for the first time since March 2023 when Les Sang et Or secured a comfortable 3-0 home victory at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Match preview
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Angers are back in the top flight of French football after finishing second and securing automatic promotion from Ligue 2 at the first time of asking last season.
Under the tutelage of Alexandre Dujeux, Les Noirs et Blancs won 20 of their 38 matches and accumulated 68 points to end the campaign three points clear of playoff winners Saint-Etienne in third.
Angers have since taken part in five friendly fixtures over the summer, following up a 3-2 win against Chateaubriant in mid-July with four successive defeats against Le Mans, Rennes, Lorient and Bastia, losing 2-1 to the latter on home soil last weekend.
Building match sharpness will have been the priority for Dujeux over results in pre-season, but the 48-year-old will be keen to see his side make a strong start to the new campaign and end a three-match losing streak against Sunday's opponents Lens, who in stark contrast concluded their pre-season on a high.
Indeed, Les Sang et Or won five of their seven friendly fixtures over the summer, coming out on top in three of their last four against FC Utrecht, Versailles and Leicester City, while a respectable 2-2 draw with Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen also took place during this run.
Lens were unable to build on their second-placed finish in the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign, as they had to settle for seventh spot last season, narrowly missing out on Europa League qualification by only two points and forcing them to enter the Europa Conference League playoff round.
A two-legged encounter against Greek outfit Panathinaikos is on the horizon for Lens, who saw head coach Franck Haise depart to join Nice and have since appointed ex-Reims boss Will Still as their new man in charge.
The 31-year-old intends to build a "hyper-intense team which aims to play as high up the pitch as possible", and that could result in more goals for a Lens outfit who have found the net in each of their last 16 Ligue 1 matches - the longest ongoing run in the division.
Lens will be optimistic of making a positive start to the new season, as they have won each of their last three meetings with Angers - never before have Les Sang et Or won four league matches in a row against Sunday's opponents.
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Team News
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Angers have confirmed that winger Justin Kalumba is ruled out for "a few months" after undergoing surgery to amend a double fracture of the ankle sustained in last weekend's friendly with Bastia.
The hosts will also be without summer signing Jim Allevinah, one of five new arrivals on a free transfer and who is yet to take part in training with his new club.
However, Carlens Arcus is in contention to make his full debut at right-back, while Jean-Eudes Aholou and Jacques Ekomie could also make their first appearances for Dujeux's side on Sunday.
As for Lens, Still has confirmed that Jimmy Cabot and Neil El Aynaoui are both ruled out with knee injuries, while Fiorentina loanee M'Bala Nzola is a doubt after experiencing a disrupted pre-season.
The departure of star striker Elye Wahi to Marseille is a big blow for Lens and one of Angelo Fulgini, Wesley Said or Florian Sotoca is set to be called upon to lead the line as a result.
Malang Sarr has joined from Chelsea on a free transfer and is in contention to play in defence, although Jonathan Gradit, Kevin Danso and Facundo Medina are the most likely trio to begin this contest in a back three.
Angers possible starting lineup:
Fofana; Arcus, Lefort, Hountondji, Hanin; Abdelli, Capelle; Cherif, Lepaul, Melali; Diony
Lens possible starting lineup:
Samba; Grandit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Thomasson, Mendy, Chavez; Said, Sotoca; Fulgini
We say: Angers 0-1 Lens
A closely-fought match could be on the cards between two teams keen to make a positive start to the new campaign. Although Angers will be spurred on by their home supporters, we believe that Lens will find a way to claim a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
