Strasbourg vs Lens — Tips & Analysis

Lens -0.25: Lens are the form team in France right now, and that is the reason we are on them. They have won 10 of their last 16 games and beat PSG 1-0 in the Trophee des Champions. They then opened the league with a 5-2 win over Auxerre. Strasbourg are nowhere near that shape. They have won 6 of their last 14 and let in almost 2 goals a game across that run. Marseille beat them 4-0 last time out. They are also without Junior Panichelli, and Samir El Mourabet is suspended, so a struggling attack loses its main man. Lens score more than 2 goals a game and have won by 2 or more in 7 of their last 16. Strasbourg cannot match that kind of finishing at the moment. Games at the Meinau are open too. Strasbourg's last 7 home games have brought almost 2 goals at each end. All of that points to a 1-2 Lens win, and an away win by a single goal is exactly what we are backing. Two things give us pause. This game is usually cagey, and the last four meetings finished 1-1, 0-1, 2-0 and 2-2. Lens have also won 2, tied 2 and lost 2 away from home, with injury problems of their own to work around. We still think Lens have too much in the final third.