Lens vs Sevilla prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-12-11 17:45.
French club Lens can add an extra day of recovery to the list of advantages they boast over Spain's Sevilla ahead of this final round of UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage action. Group B's top two has already been decided (Arsenal and PSV), leaving this pair to scrap for a position in the knockout round play-offs of the Europa League next spring.
Lens need only a draw within the comforts of home for take that place, and on the basis of claiming 17 of an available 21 points in their last seven home games across all competitions (W5, D2), they have every right to be confident of doing so. After they extended their Ligue 1 unbeaten run to ten games at the weekend, Manager Franck Haise declared his ambitions to “be in a European cup in 2024”, leaving no doubts about their intent.
Sevilla face the uphill battle of needing to register their first victory of this group stage, which would see them snatch third place from Lens on the basis of a superior H2H record. The reigning Europa League champions would love the opportunity to add to their seven titles in that competition, but have a long way to go yet.
Whereas Lens have been in formidable form, losing only to PSV and Arsenal in their last 12 weeks of football (W7, D6), Sevilla’s only victories in that time came in the Copa del Rey against lower league opposition, and in La Liga against last placed AlmerĂa in late September. It means that new manager Diego Alonso has now completed nine games against top-flight opposition without a single victory (D5, L4), so ending a nine-game drought away from home in the UCL (D6, L3) looks unlikely.
Players to watch: Elye Wahi looks to be Lens’ greatest threat in front of goal, scoring after half-time in both of their home group stage games. After he scored in consecutive competitive appearances for Sevilla, 37-year-old legendary defender Sergio Ramos returned to what he does best, recording the best Flashscore rating of the match (8.1/10) at the weekend.
Hot stat: All but one of Lens’ last eight games in all competitions saw both teams score on the day.