Lens vs Monaco prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2025-05-16 19:00.
[p]Ninth-placed Lens will enter the last matchday of the Ligue 1 season knowing that they cannot be overtaken, but can leapfrog Brest in eighth, whom they trail by one point. Some may see this year as regression under new manager Will Still, as Lens will finish outside the top seven for the first time since earning promotion back to the French top flight ahead of the 2020/21 campaign. [/p]
[p]Their recent home form is partly to blame for that, as Lens have lost six of their last nine league games as hosts (W3), which will not inspire confidence among the Stade Bollaert-Delelis faithful that the season will end on a positive note. Eight defeats from their last 13 Ligue 1 home encounters (W5) suggest that’s far from a foregone conclusion, but they have at least shared the spoils the last three times they have ended a campaign at home in the competition (D3), with two of those fixtures coming against Monaco.[/p]
[p]The visitors seem keen on ending their season on a high as they are coming off a pair of wins which cemented their spot in the top three and earned them automatic qualification for the league phase of next season’s UEFA Champions League. They still have something to play for here though, as they can steal the runners-up spot from Marseille and register their highest points-per-game figure in the division for four years. [/p]
[p]Les Monégasques won’t mind playing their final match of the campaign away from home, as they have lost just one of their last five games on the road (W2, D2). Travelling to Lens will only further boost their confidence, having avoided defeat in nine of their last 10 H2Hs there in all competitions (W5, D4).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Neil El Aynaoui will be looking to become Lens’ outright league top scorer this season, but five of his six Ligue 1 goals this term came on the road. Mika Biereth is Monaco’s top goal-getter this term despite only having joined in January – ten of his 13 strikes for the club have come after half-time.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Just five of Lens’ last 15 Ligue 1 matches have seen both teams score. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Peter Stavrinou[/i][/p]