Angers vs Lens prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-08-17 15:00.
[p]Angers bounced back to Ligue 1 at the first time of asking, finishing second in Ligue 2 last season to seal an instant return to the French elite via the automatic promotion spots. Boss Alexandre Dujeux is yet to splash any cash in the transfer market ahead of the new campaign, and positive results in pre-season have been hard to come by, losing four of their five friendlies, conceding exactly twice in all five. [/p]
[p]Dujeux has at least managed to retain the majority of his promotion-winning squad, and hopes of survival are clear after an eight-season stint in Ligue 1 last time around. Across those eight seasons, they won four opening games (D2, L2) including three of the most recent four (D1) and kept clean sheets on matchday one in the last three of those. A similar outcome on Sunday against Lens is far from guaranteed though for a side who have conceded at least twice in each of the last five H2Hs, failing to win any (D2, L3).[/p]
[p]Opponents Lens have found the back of the net in each of their last 16 Ligue 1 matches, scoring 24 goals in the process, which contributed heavily to them achieving a seventh-place finish in Ligue 1 last term and qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round. Their European qualifier takes place in the wake of this clash and it poses the question of whether their minds will be focused elsewhere.[/p]
[p]This will be Lens’ second consecutive season competing in Europe, and ahead of the new campaign, following Franck Haise’s departure for Nice, the Blood and Gold have appointed Englishman Will Still as their new head coach. Under Still, they’ve enjoyed a positive pre-season where results are concerned, beaten just once in eight friendlies (W6, D1).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Loïs Diony scored 15 goals during Angers’ Ligue 2 promotion campaign, and found the back of the net the last time he played against Lens in the top tier. Lens picked up the second-most yellow cards in Ligue 1 last season (77), and Facundo Medina was responsible for 11 of them, with each of his last three cautions coming in the first half.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Both teams have scored in each of the last ten Ligue 1 H2Hs hosted by Angers (W3, D1, L6), seven of which saw a scoreline of 2-1 either way![/p]
[p][i]Written by Ben Olawumi[/i][/p]