Lens vs Toulouse prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-09-23 13:00.
Coming into this weekend rooted to the foot of the Ligue 1 table, Lens are in the midst of their worst-ever start to a top-flight campaign. Boss Franck Haise admitted he isn’t sure when things will turn around after a 1-0 home defeat to Metz, and his side missed another chance to notch their first competitive win of the season when they drew 1-1 with Sevilla in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) opener in midweek.
Hosting Toulouse represents their next chance to record that elusive victory, and given they’ve won the last four Ligue 1 H2Hs without conceding a single goal, perhaps this is the perfect fixture. That record will certainly come under threat here considering Lens are without a clean sheet all season, and arresting that conceding run may be key if they’re to avoid losing back-to-back Ligue 1 home games for the first time since January 2021.
Losing just once after five Ligue 1 rounds (W1, D3) represents a solid start for Toulouse, who have interestingly drawn seven of their last ten top-flight fixtures. That includes a good point in a goalless stalemate at Marseille in their last league outing, which they then followed up with yet another draw against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in European action in midweek!
It’s another swift return to the road here, but Toulouse have travelled well in league action of late, losing just one of their last eight such games (W4, D3). Strong defensive starts have been the bedrock of that success, with Toulouse conceding just one first-half goal across that run, but scoring just one in that time frame themselves suggests any entertainment here will come after half-time.
Players to watch: The now-departed Loïs Openda scored all four of Lens’ H2H goals last season, so after his UCL goal in midweek, the emphasis may be on Angelo Fulgini to score his first personal home goal since he peculiarly netted for Angers against Lens in 2021/22! Slightly more prolific, Zakaria Aboukhlal has netted three times for Toulouse this season, each time his side’s first of the day.
Hot stat: Lens haven’t conceded more than once in a home league game since August 2022.