Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Stade Pierre-Mauroy will host Sunday’s Ligue 1 game between Lille and Lens, the two teams who aim to represent France in European competitions next term. Lille suffered a loss to ten-man Lorient at the weekend, but it has to be noted that they failed to turn their dominance into more goals. There are no fresh injury worries in the home team, but midfielder Edon Zhegrova remains in the recovery room.
Les Sang et Or, on the other hand, did well to shock Lyon at the weekend, with the team retaining their spot in top four. Lille and Lens seem to be evenly matched at the moment, and, taking everything into account, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. As for the visiting team, defender Jonathan Gradit has yet to recover from a collarbone problem.
Highlighted Player (Jonas Martin):
Born in Besancon on April 9, 1990, Jonas Martin is a French footballer who plays for Strasbourg as a midfielder. Jonas Martin started his youth career at Rigny and after spending four years at the club (1997-2000) he moved to Nimes Olympique in 2000.
Four years later the playmaker joined Montpellier and he made 92 appearances for La Paillade. Martin played 64 games for Montpellier II as well and he spent the 2011/2012 season on loan at Amiens. In the summer of 2016 the French player signed a three-year contract with La Liga team Real Betis and at the end of the season he returned to France, joining Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg.
His main position is central midfielder, but he is capable of playing as both defensive midfielder and attacking midfielder as well. Jonas Martin has one cap for France U19 team, but he has yet to make his debut for the senior team. His contract with Strasbourg expires on June 30, 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.