Lens vs Nantes preview

France flag 2025/2026 Ligue 1, France
Stade Bollaert-Delelis Fri, 8 May - 6:45 PM
Ligue 1
LensLEN
NantesNAN
KICKOFF : Fri, 8 May - 6:45 PM
Round 33 Regular Season

CONTEXT

Lens host Nantes at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in a Ligue 1 regular season clash during the 2025/2026 campaign. The home side sit comfortably in 2nd place, boasting a commanding power score of 82.31 against Nantes' 66.92, translating to a 15.4-point advantage that underscores their structural superiority. Form scores further tilt the scales, with Lens at 17.06 compared to the visitors' 14.06, suggesting momentum favors the hosts. Nantes languish in 17th, facing a tough away assignment against a top-tier opponent known for home strength. While detailed efficiency and set-piece metrics are unavailable due to low-confidence proxies, Lens' overall profile positions them as clear frontrunners. This matchup highlights the gap between promotion chasers and relegation battlers, with the hosts aiming to extend their strong run. Expect a controlled display from Lens leveraging their higher league standing and power metrics.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Lens possess a 15.4-point power advantage with a score of 82.31 over Nantes' 66.92 and sit 2nd versus 17th in the league.
  • Form: Lens hold a superior form score of 17.06 compared to Nantes' 14.06.
  • Squad: Squad composition details are not available in the provided data.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics are unavailable.
  • Transition: Transition play data is not provided.
  • Set pieces: Set piece data shows low confidence with proxies used and no xG available.
  • xVariable: xVariable metrics are not specified in the data.
  • Market: Lens 65.5% (Δ+0%) | Draw 20% (Δ+0%) | Nantes 14.6% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Lens P. Sage
P. Sage
VS
Nantes V. Halilhodžić
V. Halilhodžić
2.1
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
0.67
1.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Nice Rank: 72 D
Brest Rank: 73 D
Toulouse Rank: 72 W
LOSC Lille Rank: 81 L
Angers SCO Rank: 67 W
Lorient Rank: 75 L
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1 i
Last 6 Opponents
Olympique Marseille Rank: 80 W
Rennes Rank: 79 L
Paris Saint Germain Rank: 94 L
Brest Rank: 73 D
Auxerre Rank: 70 D
Metz Rank: 62 D
8
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
8 - 5 - 4
4
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Lens
65.45%
Draw
19.99%
Away Nantes
14.56%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
82.31
66.92
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Lens
Nantes
Power Score
82.31
66.92
League Position
2
17
Global Rank
48
273

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Lens — Opponent-weighted form score
Nantes — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Lens Nantes

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 17 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Lens LEN Home
17 matches
Nantes NAN Away
Match Record
8
Wins
4
5
Draws
5
4
Losses
8
Goals
26
Goals Scored
18
18
Goals Conceded
26
+8
Goal Difference
-8
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-05-08T00:04:55+00:00

STARTING XI

Match Formation 3-4-2-1
Match Formation 4-3-3
Pitch
R. Risser
France
40 R. Risser
P. Ganiou
France
25 P. Ganiou
S. Baidoo
Austria
6 S. Baidoo
M. Sarr
France
20 M. Sarr
R. Aguilar
France
2 R. Aguilar
A. Haidara
Mali
21 A. Haidara
A. Bulatović
Montenegro
5 A. Bulatović
M. Udol
France
14 M. Udol
F. Sotoca
France
7 F. Sotoca
O. Édouard
France
11 O. Édouard
A. Sima
Senegal
19 A. Sima
P. Carlgren
Sweden
30 P. Carlgren
N. Cozza
France
3 N. Cozza
U. Radaković
Serbia
26 U. Radaković
A. Youssef
Libya
2 A. Youssef
M. Acapandié
France
22 M. Acapandié
M. Kaba
France
21 M. Kaba
F. Coquelin
France
13 F. Coquelin
J. Lepenant
France
8 J. Lepenant
M. Abline
France
10 M. Abline
I. Kpene Ganago
Cameroon
37 I. Kpene Ganago
D. Assoumani
France
17 D. Assoumani

General Information

Date & Time
May 08, 2026, 06:45 PM
Competition
2025/2026 Ligue 1, France · Round 33 · Regular Season
Stadium
Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Capacity
38223
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Mathieu Vernice
Antoine Valnet
Florian Gonçalves de Araujo
Erwan Finjean

Lineup

Referee : Mathieu Vernice

Starting XI ▼

40
Robin Risser
Robin Risser Goalkeeper
6.86
6
Samson Baidoo
Samson Baidoo Defender
7.07
20
Malang Sarr
Malang Sarr Defender
7.17
25
Ismaëlo Ganiou
Ismaëlo Ganiou Defender
6.93
2
Ruben Aguilar
Ruben Aguilar Midfielder
6.98
5
Andrija Bulatovic
Andrija Bulatovic Midfielder
6.77
14
Matthieu Udol
Matthieu Udol Midfielder
7.08
21
Amadou Haidara
Amadou Haidara Midfielder
6.73
7
Florian Sotoca
Florian Sotoca Attacker
6.66
11
Odsonne Édouard
Odsonne Édouard Attacker
6.86
19
Abdallah Sima
Abdallah Sima Attacker
6.74
Referee : Mathieu Vernice

Starting XI ▼

30
Patrik Carlgren
Patrik Carlgren Goalkeeper
7.89
2
Ali Youssef
Ali Youssef Defender
6.8
3
Nicolas Cozza
Nicolas Cozza Defender
6.62
22
Mathieu Acapandié
Mathieu Acapandié Defender
6.33
26
Uros Radakovic
Uros Radakovic Defender
6.44
8
Johann Lepenant
Johann Lepenant Midfielder
6.88
13
Francis Coquelin
Francis Coquelin Midfielder
6.6
21
Mohamed Kaba
Mohamed Kaba Midfielder
6.94
10
Matthis Abline
Matthis Abline Attacker
6.86
17
Dehmaine Tabibou
Dehmaine Tabibou Attacker
6.68
37
Ignatius Ganago
Ignatius Ganago Attacker
6.89

CONCLUSION

Lens enter this fixture as overwhelming favorites, backed by their 2nd-place standing, 15.4-point power edge, and better form score of 17.06 over Nantes' 14.06. Hosting at Stade Bollaert-Delelis amplifies their advantage against a Nantes side mired in 17th. Without granular efficiency or set-piece insights, the focus remains on Lens' holistic superiority, likely leading to a composed victory. Nantes must defy significant structural deficits to compete, but the hosts' metrics suggest control and three points. This encounter reinforces Ligue 1's competitive divide, with Lens poised to solidify their top-tier credentials.