Lens vs Rennes Prediction: Goal from both teams and over 2.5 goals expected in this game

On Sunday, August 20, Lens will host Rennes at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis for their opening Ligue 1 match of the 2023-24 season.

In their first game of the season, the hosts were defeated by Brest. After 22 minutes, they were up by two goals but Brest drew after the break. With three minutes left to complete his hat trick, Romain Del Castillo converted the winning penalty shot.

Meanwhile, Rennes' season got off to a great start last week with a 5-1 victory over Metz at home. They are currently leading the league, with Lens in 13th place.

A win is expected or the away side but goals from both teams is a sure bet. 

Lens

In their matchup with Brest last weekend, Lens had the upper hand with two goals from Florian Sotoca and Deiver Machado in the opening minutes. However, the runners-up from the previous season lost the game after Brest scored three goals. Adrien Thomasson was dismissed just 14 minutes after coming off the bench. 

Haise will undoubtedly be upset with how his team has started the season, but he may draw great inspiration from Lens' successes last year when they competed with Paris Saint-Germain all the way to the end and finished one point behind the defending champions. Lens finished Ligue 1 with the fewest losses and the greatest defensive record last year, hence Lens could once again contend for a place in the Champions League.

Rennes

After destroying Metz 5-1 on the opening weekend, Rennes now leads the Ligue 1 standings. The dominance of Rennes is evident with the team's 71% possession and 29 shots against the newly promoted team. The goals were distributed among four different players: Arnaud Kalimuendo, Amine Gouiri, Jeremy Doku, and Ibrahim Salah. 

Rennes will be hoping for another successful season after they won six of their final eight games to nab fourth place in the rankings last year, finishing ahead of European powerhouses like Lyon, Monaco, and Lille.

Expert Betting Tips

With four victories in their past six meetings, Lens has a strong record against Rennes. They only had two shots on goal in their season opener last week, but both of them resulted in goals. However, the loss of Seko Fofana, a former captain, and prolific scorer Los Openda has been devastating.

Meanwhile, Rennes led the league in scoring throughout the first week of play. In ten games across all competitions, including friendlies, they have only lost once. While Lens had a successful run against Rennes, they have had trouble since Openda and Fofana left. Adrien Thomasson, who was dismissed in the first game of the season, will also be unavailable to them. There are questions about Wesley Said's availability as well.

Hence a win is expected for the away side with potential score of 1-2 or 1-3.