Lens are desperate to halt a run of four straight winless Ligue 1 matches as they host Nantes at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Sunday.
Lens sit in fourth place on 46 points, three points behind second-placed Olympique Marseille in the Champions League race with 15 matches to play. Fifth-placed Lille, the first club outside of the Europa League position, are five points behind Lens. Lens were defeated 2-1 in their last Ligue 1 match at Groupama Stadium against Olympique Lyonnais, extending their winless streak to four (W0 D2 L2).
Nantes’ last Ligue 1 match saw them triumph 1-0 over Lorient at home, putting them in 13th place on 28 points. Les Canaris have scored 24 goals and conceded 26 through 23 matches, leaving them trailing fifth-placed Lille by 13 points for a spot in the Conference League Qualifiers.
The last Ligue 1 meeting between the sides, a September match at Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau, ended in a 0-0 draw.
Nantes have got the better of Lens of late, unbeaten in their last five Ligue 1 matches (W1 D4 L0). Lens are looking for their first league win in games between the two teams since May 2015. Les Canaris have outscored Lens 7-6 during their unbeaten streak.
In the final third, Loïs Openda has been a key player for Lens this season. The striker is the club’s leading scorer with nine goals.
Andy Delort, Ludovic Blas, and Mostafa Mohamed have been Nantes’ main attacking threats this season, finding the target six, five, and five times, respectively.
Hosts Lens have been tough to beat at Stade Bollaert-Delelis this season with 10 wins and just one loss in 11 Ligue 1 contests. Nantes have played on the road 12 times in the league this season, earning 11 points from 36 available (W2 D5 L5). Les Canaris are on a four-match away unbeaten streak (W2 D2 L0).
The last time they were defeated away was November 2022 against Reims.
In their last six league matches, Lens have won one, drawn three and lost two. Nantes, meanwhile, have won three, drawn two and lost one in their last six.