Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Lens
Match Time & Date:
20/08/2023
20:45
Prediction: 1-1
Rennes
Lens and Rennes go head to head at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in the closing match of Sunday’s program. Lens suffered a 3-2 loss to Brest in their opener, but it has to be noted that midfielder Adrien Thomasson was sent off in the 82th minute. As a result, the 29-year-old forward misses the visit of Rennes through suspension, as well as midfielder Neil El Aynaoui. The likes of Lukasz Poreba, Wesley Said, Jimmy Cabot, and Wuilker Farinez are out of contention with injuries.
Les Rouges et Noirs, on the other hand, rolled over Metz 5-1 in the season opener and given Lens’ attacking potential at home ground, both teams to score betting option should be considered. There are no fresh injury worries in the visiting team, but defender Adrien Truffert continues to miss out with injury. In their last meeting at the venue Lens defeated Rennes 2-1.
Highlighted Player (Birger Meling):
Born in Stavanger, Norway on December 17, 1994, Birger Meling is a defender who plays for Eliteserien club Rosenborg. Meling began his youth career at Viking back in 2000, but 13 years later he moved to English club Middlesbrough. However, the Norwegian footballer did not play for the Riverside Stadium outfit at senior level.
Meling started his senior career at Stabaek, but after scoring five goals in 57 appearances for the Blue Ones in the league, he moved to famous Norwegian club Rosenborg in the winter of 2017. Speaking of his international career, Meling made his debut with the Norway national team on November 11, 2017 in a 2-0 loss over North Macedonia.
The Rosenborg defender has six caps with Norway U21 team as well. His preferred foot is left, whilst his main position on the field is left-back. The 173-cm-tall footballer has a contract with Rosenborg, which should expire on December 31, 2020.
Highlighted Team (Lens):
Based in the Pas-De-Calais department, Lens is a French club that plays home games at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The Sang et Or are well known for their red shirts with yellow stripes, while black is the dominant colour of their away jersey.
The club was founded back in 1906 and the Sang et Or originally played in green and black shirts. Speaking of their home ground, Stade Bollaert-Delelis can hold up to 38,058 spectators. The venue was opened back in 1933, and renovated during the 2014/15 season. Lens did well to win the Ligue 1 trophy in the 1997/98 season, with the team finishing the process level on points with second-place Metz.
As a result, the Sang et Or represented France in the Champions League group stages the following season. The club’s biggest European success came in the 1999/00 season when they made it to the UEFA Cup semis. Lens have won two Coupe de la Ligue trophies as well.
