Metz vs Lens prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-04-11 19:00.
[p]Metz’s yo-yo relationship with French football’s top two tiers will continue this summer unless they can quickly reverse their torrid form which has seen each of their last three league outings end in defeat. The Maroons have been relegated or promoted in seven of the last ten seasons and now sit five points from safety in Ligue 1, with time running out if they are to climb above the dreaded dotted line.[/p]
[p]Their most recent loss was a 4-3 against high-flying Brest, leaving manager László Bölöni “angry” at his players as they threw away a 1-0 lead. Worryingly, a return to Stade Saint-Symphorien does little to suggest an upturn in form might be around the corner, as Metz have been beaten in six of their last seven league games on home soil (W1), with the only victory during that time coming against rock-bottom Clermont.[/p]
[p]That is certainly good news for opponents Lens, who are on their own three-match winless run (D1, L2) which has resulted in them falling away from the UEFA Champions League qualification places. The most damaging of those results was undoubtedly a 2-1 defeat to Lille, who currently occupy fourth place and sit six points clear of the Blood and Gold ahead of this round.[/p]
[p]They followed that up by drawing 1-1 with Le Havre last weekend, after which manager Franck Haise conceded his side are now unlikely to trouble the top four. There is still a UEFA Europa League place up for grabs though, so the boss will be desperate to see the visitors return to form on the road, where they have won three of their last five league matches, keeping a clean sheet in each victory (D1, L1).[/p]
[p]Key battle: Georges Mikautadze has netted five goals in 11 games since returning to Metz in January, four of which have been the first or last of the game. Looking to keep him quiet may be Lens defender Jonathan Gradit, who has won just one of his seven H2Hs (D3, L3), with only one of those fixtures, a 0-0 draw, seeing his side keep a clean sheet.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only four of Lens’ 14 away league games this season have seen both teams score, a low for Ligue 1.[/p]