Europe-chasing Lens seek back-to-back Ligue 1 wins for the first time since January when they welcome Rennes to Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Saturday's gameweek 26 contest.
Will Still's men stunned second-placed Marseille last weekend to end a four-match losing top-flight run and aim to record consecutive victories to put pressure on sixth-placed Lyon, whom they trail by six points, in the race to end in the final continental qualification place.
Match preview
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A late Neil El Aynaoui winner at Marseille in gameweek 25 snapped Lens' four-match losing run and prevented Still's side from sliding further down the table.
Dropped points against Roberto De Zerbi's side would have seen Brest overtake the eighth-placed side in the standings; however, El Aynaoui scoring for his third appearance running sealed the points for the Blood and Gold's sixth away win this season.
While that success ended a two-match losing run on their travels, Still's team, who own the third-best away record in the top flight, aim to snap a similar sequence of defeats in front of their supporters.
Digging deeper, the home side have been defeated in four of their previous five fixtures at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where Lens have accrued 14 points from 12 fixtures this term, outdoing only five clubs: Nantes (13) Montpellier (12) Angers (10) Reims (10) and Le Havre (seven).
That magnifies Les Sang et Or's underwhelming sequence of results heading into their 13th home match this term, and they seek to improve those outcomes in the final weeks of 2024-25 to enhance their prospects of supplanting Lyon, whom they trail by six points.
Although this season's form in front of their fans suggests that defeating Rennes this weekend will be far from straightforward, recent history against Les Rennais points to the hosts at least avoiding a seventh home disappointment.
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Les Rouge et Noirs have not beaten Lens since a 1-0 success in February 2015, while their ongoing nine-match winless run in this fixture demonstrates their inferiority in this rivalry.
The club's wretched away results further throw this weekend's prospects into doubt, even if eagle-eyed observers might mention that two of Rennes' away wins in 24-25 have come in their most recent visits to Saint-Etienne (2-0) and Montpellier (4-0).
Both wins followed a miserable nine-match sequence without maximum points on the road, with the Red and Blacks falling to eight losses in that period.
However, the tide has turned since Habib Beye replaced Jorge Sampaoli at the end of January, and the Rennais now aim to record three away victories on the bounce for the first time in a year when they claimed wins at Clermont (3-1) Lyon (3-2) and Le Havre (1-0) between December 2023 and February 2024.
The optimistic fans will believe in their team's chances of matching that run and ending a 10-year wait for success at Lens, given Rennes' upswing since Beye's appointment under whom the Red and Blacks have won four of six Ligue 1 fixtures.
With those results possibly ruling out the 12th-placed side from the relegation conversation — Beye's men are eight points clear of Le Havre in the relegation playoff spot and nine above the bottom two — finishing as high as possible could be the ambition in the campaign's final weeks.
Team News
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Remy Lascary and Martin Satriano are not expected back until next season due to severe knee injuries, while the trio of Denis Petric (back) Herve Koffi (hamstring) and Jhoanner Chavez (ankle) are nearing returns.
Despite leading the way with six goals this season, M'Bala Nzola, who returns from suspension this weekend, trails Adrien Thomasson for match-winning efforts (two) even though no colleague has matched the forward's three game-opening strikes.
Seko Fofana is suspended against his former club, while Alidu Seidu (knee) and Andres Gomez (ankle) are missing through injury for Rennes.
Only four players — Ousmane Dembele (20 goals) Mason Greenwood (15) Jonathan David (14) and Bradley Barcola (13) — have outscored Arnaud Kalimuendo (11) this season, and the forward, who has notched five game-opening strikes in 24-25, aims to be decisive again this weekend.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Aguilar, Gradit, Sarr, Medina; Aynaoui, Diouf; Sotoca, Thomasson, Zaraoury; Said
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Samba; Jacquet Rouault Brassier; Assignon James Cisse Kone Truffert; Blas Kalimuendo
We say: Lens 1-2 Rennes
Although Lens have stayed unbeaten in this fixture in nine games, Rennes' upswing under Beye and the away side's two-match winning streak on the road suggest they are primed for a first victory over Les Sang et Or in a decade.
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