A Lens outfit seeking a third successive triumph host a Nice side reeling from their third consecutive loss at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Saturday's Ligue 1 battle.
Les Sang et Or strengthened their top-four hopes with a 1-0 victory over high-flying Brest last time out, while their faltering visitors were dumped out of the Coupe de France by Paris Saint-Germain.
Match preview
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Even without highly-rated head coach Franck Haise and integral defender Facundo Medina - both of whom stood in the naughty corner due to suspensions - Lens enhanced their Champions League credentials while denting Brest's podium aspirations in front of the home crowd on March 9.
As Elye Wahi failed to connect with an inswinging delivery - which deceived Pirates goalkeeper Marco Bizot and struck the post - Ruben Aguilar was in the right place at the right time to nod home the rebound for the game's first and only goal, seeing Lens earn back-to-back Ligue 1 triumphs following their 3-0 beating of a resurgent Lyon.
Haise's men also had the efforts of goalkeeper Brice Samba to thank for their latest three-point haul, one which took them above their upcoming visitors into fifth place in the Ligue 1 table, and only goal difference is keeping them below Lille in the fourth and final Champions League spot.
From ending February with four winless matches to triumphing in their first two fixtures in March, Les Sang et Or also have just a four-point gap to make up to second-placed Brest as the fascinating duel for Champions League football heats up, and five of their last seven Ligue 1 contests have now ended in victory.
After a forgettable start to the campaign, only runaway leaders PSG have accumulated more points than Lens since matchday six in Ligue 1, but Haise's men have alternated between a win and a loss in their last five top-flight home games, not a reassuring statistic for the more superstitious supporters.
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However, the Stade Bollaert-Delelis faithful can take plenty of comfort in the abysmal form of Saturday's visitors Nice, who remain without a top-flight win since the end of January and have not tasted success in any competition since a 4-1 Coupe de France thrashing of Montpellier HSC on February 7.
La Paillade avenged that elimination with a 2-1 beating of Francesco Farioli's side at the Allianz Riviera in last weekend's Ligue 1 battle, before Les Aiglons pitted their wits against PSG in the Coupe de France quarter-finals and travelled home with their tails tucked between their legs.
Formerly the hero against his old club, saving two penalties in the last-16 shootout to help Nice advance two years ago, goalkeeper Marcin Bulka went from hero to zero at the Parc des Princes, making a dreadful error to allow Fabian Ruiz to score either side of efforts from Kylian Mbappe and Lucas Beraldo.
Bulka's downfall coincides with Nice's own self-destruction, as with four defeats and a draw to show from their last five Ligue 1 matches - only taking a point off last-placed Clermont in that time - the visitors have dropped to sixth in the rankings and are only one point better off than Marseille.
While the declining Aiglons are still very much in the Champions League mix, they do not have their away form to thank, as Farioli's side are on a dismal seven-game stretch without a Ligue 1 win on the road, only managing a meagre two goals in the process.
In fact, nine goals on rival territory all season long is the joint-worst record in the division alongside Nantes, although they have coincidentally posted three clean sheets from their last three meetings with Lens, running out 1-0 winners in this fixture last season and prevailing 2-0 at the Allianz Riviera just before Christmas.
Team News
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As well as welcoming Haise back to his rightful place on the touchline, Lens can also deploy Medina in defence following his own ban for yellow-card accumulation, meaning that Abdukodir Khusanov's time in the first XI should come to an end.
However, the hosts remain without a recognised left-back due to injuries to Massadio Haidara (thigh), Deiver Machado (groin) and Jhoanner Chavez (calf), while long-term ACL victim Jimmy Cabot is still in the final stages of his recuperation.
Poland international Przemyslaw Frankowski is therefore primed to deputise on the left-hand side once more as Aguilar bombs down the right, fresh from scoring his first Ligue 1 goal since September 2020 for Monaco against Strasbourg.
As far as Nice are concerned, Sofiane Diop's foot problem should keep him sidelined until after the international break, while Valentin Rosier is nursing a muscular injury and should not make an appearance this weekend either.
With just a 72-hour recovery period, Farioli will need to closely assess any bumps and bruises from Wednesday's Coupe de France loss to PSG, but no players are believed to have picked up any new issues in the French capital.
Terem Moffi and Mohamed-Ali Cho should still come into Farioli's thinking in attack, as the Aiglons boss bids to solve his side's offensive crisis on the road, but there should be no respite for 40-year-old skipper Dante in defence.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Samba; Medina, Danso, Gradit; Aguilar, El Aynaoui, Mendy, Frankowski; Pereira da Costa; Sotoca, Wahi
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Lotomba, Todibo, Dante, Bard; Claude-Maurice, Rosario, Thuram; Laborde, Moffi, Boga
We say: Lens 2-0 Nice
There is certainly no shortage of talent in Nice's attacking ranks, but Farioli's charges have been haunted by an offensive curse on the road all season long and will be unlikely to get much change out of Haise's newly-fortified backline.
With Medina returning to a sturdy setup and Samba also proving his worth as an excellent last line of defence, the refreshed hosts ought to make light work of their out-of-sorts and fatigued visitors, thereby boosting their Champions League hopes while further harming Les Aiglons'.
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Ben Knapton
