Marseille vs Lens prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-10-21 19:00.
Despite an impressive total of 18 shot attempts – the joint most at Parc des Princes by an away side since Barcelona managed 21 in March 2021 – Marseille fell 1-0 to fierce rivals PSG in the famous “Classique” last weekend. They now battle it out here with another UEFA Champions League spot candidate in the shape of Lens in what appears to be a crucial six-pointer, knowing that a defeat would place Marseille at least three points below the Ligue 1 top three.
The Olympians will want fans to quickly forget about the shock 2-1 defeat against newcomers Ajaccio in their previous outing at the Stade Vélodrome, but the fact Marseille have lost the last two H2Hs here suggests a first run of three consecutive Ligue 1 losses since early 2021 is possible. Eric Bailly's injury combined with Samuel Gigot's suspension will be a defensive headache for coach Igor Tudor too, and could lead to a first start for youngster Isaak Touré.
Visitors Lens have enjoyed an excellent start to the new Ligue 1 campaign (W7, D3, L1), leading to the extension of coach Frank Haise's contract until 2027, while their 1-0 win against Montpellier last weekend propelled them into third. However their one loss this season did come in their last away game at Lille (1-0), so pressure will be on here to avoid back to back away losses for the first time this calendar year.
Scoring at least twice could be the best way to avoid that scenario, given Lens have won all six Ligue 1 road trips in which they did just that in 2022, although they have failed to score at all in their last two away games. Boss Haise knows that his team are usually fired up for the big games this season though, as they’ve won all three matches played against teams from the current top-six, including an impressive 4-1 victory away to Monaco.
Players to watch: Veteran Dimitry Payet could be keen for a good start considering he’s scored three of Marseille’s previous four H2H goals, all from the 31st minute to half-time. Lens will hope Florian Sotoca can find the net as they’ve won his last six goalscoring Ligue 1 games.
Hot stat: Just four of the previous 15 Ligue 1 H2Hs have seen the home side emerge victorious (D5, L6).