Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Lens
Match Time & Date:
16 August 2025
16:00
Prediction: 2-2
Lyon
All eyes will be on Stade Bollaert-Delelis when Lens and Olympique Lyon square off against each other in the Ligue 1 opener. Les Sang et Or were producing fine displays in preseason, with the team beating the likes of Metz, Wolves, and Leipzig in friendly games, while losing to AS Roma. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be summer signing Florian Thauvin, who returns to the French top flight following a four-year absence. Facundo Medina misses out through suspension.
Les Gones, on the other hand, are determined to secure a top-four finish this time out after missing out on a spot in the Champions League last season. Given Lyon’s attacking potential and Lens’ fine home record, we are tempted to place our bets on over 2.5 goals. Rayan Cherki is no longer part of the team after joining Premier League powerhouse Man City, while the club chiefs have signed the likes of Tyler Morton, Pavel Sulc, Ruben Kluivert, and Afonso Moreira in the summer transfer window.
Highlighted Player (Nemanja Matic):
Nemanja Matic is a Serbian footballer who plays for Premier League side Chelsea. The 194-cm-tall midfielder was born on 1 August, 1988 and he began his football career (youth) at Radnicki Obrenovac.
In 2005 he signed for Kolubara and after impressing with Kosice in the 2008/2009 campaign, Chelsea owners decided to sign him. Nemanja spent the 2010/2011 season on loan at Vitesse and at the end of the season he signed a deal with Portuguese giants Benfica, with David Luiz heading in the other direction.
Matic was in the form of his life in the 2013/2014 Primeira Liga campaign and he helped the Eagles clinch the domestic trophy. He rejoined Chelsea in 2014 for a fee of €25M and he helped the Blues win the Premier League title in the 2014/2015 season. Nemanja Matic has also developed into a key member of the Serbian national team that have been largely struggling of late.
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.
Besiktas 
St Patricks 
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Hamrun
Shakhtar Donetsk 
Panathinaikos 
Utrecht 
Servette 
Braga 
Cluj
Legia 
AEK Larnaca
