Ligue 1 preview and betting tip: Lens unlikely to slip up in crucial game with Reims
On Friday night Lens will kick off the Ligue 1 weekend when they host Reims in a vital game for the home team. Football pundit Sergiu Baltuta , who runs SVB Tips on Tipstrr, assesses their prospects.
Only Lens have any real stake in this game as they look to cement their current second spot in the table that would take them directly into next season's Champions League.
They are in good shape to do just that after last weekend's huge 2-1 win against third-placed Marseille, a result that saw the two teams switch positions in the table.
Over the last two months, Lens have been almost perfect, both home and away, winning seven of their last eight games, with their only blemish coming in their 3-1 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain.
Those seven wins have seen them score 16 goals and concede just twice, and their five clean sheets do not bode well for a Reims attack that has found the net just twice in five outings.
Suggested bet: Lens to win to nil
Lens are undefeated in the last nine Ligue 1 games against Reims (4 wins and 5 draws), and although past performance is no guarantee to future success, it's hard to see the in-form home team slipping up in such a vital game.
This suggests that Reims can be a very unpredictable team at this stage of the season, but Lens will be hoping that, with little to play for, their visitors are already on the beach.