Olympique Lyon vs RC Lens Prediction: Lyon are better off with a draw really!

Olympique Lyon have been a piece of pure belief, commitment and hard work in the past few months. They have turned what seemed to be the worst possible start to the season, into one of the most epic comebacks of all time. 

Sitting in 10th place, Olympique Lyon are safe from the relegation battle and are now in contention for higher position. It took lots of dedication to achieve what they have achieved in the past few months and now they are full of confidence for the remaining part of the season.

RC Lens are the next opponents or maybe the next victims of Lyon's resurgence and the tight battle will unfold at the Groupama Stadium.

Lyon have a legacy to protect and RC Lens are refusing to be crushed.

Olympique Lyon

Olympique Lyon want to win every game possible and strengthen their claim on a top table spot to secure their place in European competition next season. And after 5 wins in a row, the momentum is building within the team and they need to keep the results coming.

Olympique Lyon defeated Metz FC last weekend to stretch their win streak to 4 league games in a row. But most recently they took on Strasbourg in the Coup de France and they won on penalties.

There was nothing to separate Lyon and Strasbourg in full time and extra time. So the game was decided on penalties. Lyon however, were more dominant through the game according to the stats. They had 63% possession, 1 shot on target and 11 corner kicks. They also had 13 shots in the opponent's box and hit the woodwork once.

Olympique Lyon coach Pierre Sage opted for a flat 4-3-3 formation against Strasbourg. And at the end, he got the win but not as he would have hoped. Alexander Lacazette had a pretty quiet day on the pitch until the 66th minute when he was replaced by Gift Orban after he picked up an injury. And there was more involvement from Saido Benrahma on the left flank during the game. 

Ahead of the game against RC Lens, Pierre Sage will be hoping for a better performance from his players. Alexandre Lacazette is a doubt for this clash and that will be a blow to the team. Mama Balde might be getting the nod to replace Lacazette and that will be quite insufficient considering the difference in quality between both players.

RC Lens

RC Lens are the sort of side that would be totally unfazed by Olympique Lyon on a normal day. But with their current form, they might need to have a rethink. Their latest form has not been the best and their results have deepened along with it. There's been no win for RC Lens in the last 4 games in all competitions, as they had 2 draws and 2 defeats in all 4 games. 

Last weekend, they lost against AS Monaco, but only by a narrow margin. Elye Wahi and Wesley Said both scored for Lens but it made little difference to the game at the end as AS Monaco won the game late in the 92nd minute.

Lens manager Franck Haise played a 3-4-2-1 formation in the game against AS Monaco and there were lots of positive signs from that structure. Lens were bright in possession, taking over 59%. They also registered 11 shots on target and played 9 corner kicks. They had 7 big chances and played 2 counter attacks in that game. However the defensive unit were not at their very best. Jonathan Gradit and Kevin Danso were particularly poor in the game and that cost RC Lens the game.

Looking ahead to the Lyon game, Franck Haise is likely to set up in a similar 3-4-2-1 formation with the same players. Olympique Lyon are not an outright attacking team and it should give Lens some breathing room to express themselves further down the pitch. 

Head to Head

According to the h2h, in the last 20 meetings between RC Lens and Olympique Lyon, Lyon won 12 matches, while RC Lens won 5 games and they drew 3 games.

Analysis and Predictions

Both sides are evenly matched and it's going to definitely be a cagey affair. RC Lens right now are parading with a really bruised ego and they want someone to pay for it. So I expect them to unleash their frustrations on Olympique Lyon. 

Lyon on the other hand, will probably approach this game with caution. They would rather play safe and earn a draw than lose. 

According to the h2h, Olympique Lyon have won the last 7 meetings. Both teams scored in 6 of their last 7 meetings and there were less than 4.5 cards in the last 5 meetings. There were also less than 1o. 5 corners in the last 6 meetings.

• 3 Way Total Corners Under 10 Corners at 1.727 Odds
• 3 Way Total Corners Under 10 Corners at 1.727 Odds
• Draw FT at 3.25 Odds