Lens and Lille will face off in a key Ligue 1 clash, with the two sides looking to keep their top four hopes intact. Lens have been in fine form in the league so far this season and are currently sitting in fourth place. They have been in prolific form for the majority of this season, having won 14 of their 25 games so far. Lille, on the other hand, had a slow start but picked up the pace soon and have lost only one of their last five. Lens are at 50 points, tied on the table with Monaco and Lille at 44, with a chance to build pressure for the European spot. A win for both teams is crucial in this potentially decisive match in terms of the standings at the end of the season. Below are some stats looking at the likelihood of the outcome of this match.
Comparison of the teams’ performances
The viz above shows the percentile rank of both teams’ stats compared to each other as well as to other teams in Ligue 1. It can be seen that both teams are closely ranked in most of the departments. They have similar percentile ranks in terms of possession, xG per 90 and entries into the penalty area per 90 minutes. Lens delivers more crosses and are better off putting pressure on the opponents high up the pitch.
Lens maintains 58.39% possession and attempts 532.08 passes on average with an accuracy of 87.6%. They make 78.44 recoveries per 90 minutes. Whereas, Lille keeps the ball for 49.13% of the match on average, attempting 550.2 passes with an accuracy of 87.8%. Additionally, Lille makes 82 recoveries per match.
Both teams in front of the goal
Lens have scored 38 goals (43.87 xG) this season. The top scorer for Lens in the 2022–23 French Ligue 1 is Loius Openda with nine goals, and he is a key player for the side. The team takes 13.64 shots per 90 with an accuracy rate of 32.8%. The team has scored most of its goals from inside the box despite attempting plenty of shots from distance and has scored only three from outside the box, as seen in the visual above.
Lille have scored 45 goals (47.11 xG). The top scorer for Lille in the 2022–23 French Ligue 1 is Jonathan David, with 15 goals. Their goal output is decent in comparison to the number of shots taken; they have taken 361 shots in 25 matches, averaging 14.68 shots per 90 minutes. The above viz depicts the shot map for Lille and shows how they attempted most shots from the penalty area. The team has a shot accuracy of 38.8% per 90 and has found the back of the net three times, all from distance.
Defensive doings
Lens’s defence has been strong this season, having conceded just 20 goals. The above viz shows the defensive territory of the team this season in Ligue 1. It indicates that Lens were involved in a lot of defensive actions throughout the pitch and were also active in making interceptions on the flanks. They have made 37.52 average interceptions, winning 47.4% of the aerial duels and 57.1% of the defensive duels contested per 90. They have not given up any fouls in the box. They commit 13.52 fouls on average and concede 0.8 goals per 90 minutes.
The above viz shows Lille’s defensive territory from their current season in the French top tier. Lille have conceded a total of 32 goals. The team makes 82 recoveries per 90 minutes and 37.76 interventions, which is slightly better compared to their opponents this season. They haven’t given away any dangerous fouls, but they average 13.28 fouls per 90 minutes. They won 57.7% of defensive duels and 44.8% of aerial duels contested. They have a slightly higher backline as compared to their opponents.
Key Player
Jonathan David is pumping goals for Lille and is a crucial part of their attack. In the 2022–23 French Ligue 1, Jonathan David played 24 matches. David has 31 shots on target from a total of 59 and has scored 15 goals (11.96 xG). All of his goals have come from inside and around the six-yard box, along with a few attempts on goal from outside the box. He has also helped his teammates score by providing four assists. The Lens backline will have to be aware of David’s positioning at all times in order to prevent any kind of damage.
Team news
Lens will miss out on the likes of Wesley Said, Wuilker Farinez, Jimmy Cabot, and Adam Buksa due to injuries. Meanwhile, Lille will travel without coach Paulo Fonseca due to his suspension and will miss out on the services of Ismaily, Diakhite, Jose Fonte, and Adam Ounas due to injuries.
In conclusion, Saturday‘s Ligue 1 clash at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis between Lens and Lille promises to be an interesting and intense encounter. Lens will be looking to get back to winning ways following a midweek defeat to Nantes in the Coupe de France, while Lille will be hoping to continue their impressive form and move further up the table. The result of this match could have a big impact on the French top flight’s top four positions.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
