Strasbourg vs Lens prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-01-10 20:00.
The picture looks incredibly bleak for Strasbourg, who come into this latest round of Ligue 1 fixtures four points from safety in the relegation zone after a 3-2 home loss to Troyes. There’s no let-up on the fixture front with second-place Lens visiting for this midweek fixture, but having won three of their last four H2Hs (L1), perhaps there is cautious optimism an upset could be on the cards.
With just one victory from 17 league games (D8, L8) so far this season though, that seems incredibly unlikely. That record might have psychological ramifications that stretch beyond this game for Strasbourg, who are possibly aware that 21 of the 23 teams with one win or fewer at this stage of the league campaign have dropped into Ligue 2 at the end of the season.
By stark contrast, Lens are flying high at the top end of the table and after beating league leaders PSG 3-1 in their last Ligue 1 outing closed the gap at the summit to four points. Winning the title still remains a pipe dream given the riches PSG have at their disposal, but with 40 points at this stage of the Ligue 1 season the highest in Lens’ history, they might dare to dream.
That success has largely been built on defensive solidity and an ability to avoid falling behind, with no side in Ligue 1 trailing for fewer minutes than Lens’ 78 this season. Their solidity doesn’t tend to waiver on their travels either, with Les Sang et Or going an impressive 15 successive away league games without conceding more than a single goal, a run which has unsurprisingly seen them lose just twice (W7, D6).
Players to watch: Strasbourg’s Kévin Gameiro has seen three of his last five goals serve as equalisers, all of which arrived after half-time. Not famed for his goalscoring, Lens’ Salis Abdul Samed has conceded 45 fouls in Ligue 1 this season, the highest total among players in Europe's top-five leagues, but has only accumulated three yellow cards.
Hot stat: A joint-league high 82% of Strasbourg’s league games have seen both sides score ahead of the round.