Monaco vs Lens prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-08-19 15:00.
After beating Everton to his signing, Monaco could hand a debut to Mohamed Camara in this match against Lens as they look to start this Ligue 1 campaign unbeaten in three games, albeit against a side that coincidentally beat them 2-0 at this very venue on matchday three last season! Manager Philippe Clement will hope to avoid a repeat of that this term, and the signing of midfielder Camera could add some solidity to a Monaco team that’s now seven matches without a clean sheet after seeing both teams score in their opening four competitive games.
Already ousted from the Champions League qualifiers, and without Youssouf Fofana who was sent off against Rennes last weekend, this game could give Clement a good idea of how his team can respond to adversity. Monaco showed glimpses of that as they scored late on to rescue a 1-1 draw for the second successive home fixture in their recent match with Rennes, but it also ended a five-game winning run in the league at the Stade Louis II.
Getting back to winning ways against a Lens side that missed out on Europe by just a few points last season – and that has picked up four points from their opening two games in what is their best start to a Ligue 1 campaign since 2004/05 – will be a hard task. This visiting side are unlikely to travel complacent either, with Lens manager Franck Haise calling on his side to be better in front of goal, admitting “we should have been a little more efficient” after failing to convert any of their 12 shots in their recent 0-0 against Ajaccio.
Their recent good form follows on from a strong finish to last season, when a last-gasp 2-2 stalemate with Monaco on the final day extended their unbeaten run to eight games (W5, D3). With that result, Lens are unbeaten in four H2H league meetings (W2, D2), but they do tend to struggle when making the trip to Monaco, winning just four times in their last 36 league visits (D9, L23).
Players to watch: Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder scored twice in a 4-2 cup win over Lens last season, but has lost against them four times in seven meetings (W1, D2). Meanwhile, Lens’ Ignatius Ganago has been defeated just once in eight league meetings with Monaco (W5, D2), and scored in both fixtures last season.
Hot stat: Monaco have not drawn three successive home fixtures since October 2015.