Saturday 09/08/2014, 21:00, France Ligue 1, Round 1, Nantes vs Lens

Nantes vs Lens Preview

A new edition of the French first division is about to begin, with Lens returning among the best teams from the hexagon. Avoiding relegation remains that top priority for the upcoming season, but it is only fair to assume that the former champions have high expectations than that. In the opening round they will be traveling to Nantes, where they are bound to face an excellent defensive team which found a way to shut down even the best opponents last season.

Nantes vs Lens Odds

At Expekt

Nantes 2.05, Draw 3.20, Lens 3.75

Nantes vs Lens Tips

Nantes came painfully close of finishing in the first half of the standings, with the late-season meltdown causing them to slip into the 13th place. They had the second to last worst offensive in Ligue, but the team has been reinforced and it is very likely that the hosts will score at least once in the opening match.

Manager Zakarian took over after the regular season concluded and made sure that his team got plenty of test matches, with no fewer than five friendly games taking place in July. The results were mediocre to say the least, with Nantes winning just once against Brest and failing to score in the most recent three fixtures. As a result, they need to shift into a more aggressive gear and this implies that they will use three strikers from the beginning, with Gakpe, Niane and Boungura expected to feature upfront.

Last season, Dordevic was their most prolific striker with 10 goals, but the striker has been transferred to Lazio. It is essential for Zakarian to quickly find a worthy replacement for him, because otherwise the team is very likely to sink into another winless streak.

The visitors played few were friendly games since the regular season ended, because they didn't have to test many players in the season break. Promoting the first division was a significant accomplishment for them, which explains why so many players decided to extend their contracts. Compared to 2013, they have more or less the same players and they will need to rise to the challenge of playing in Ligue 1.

Key Facts

• Nantes has the upper hand in head to head games, having won 8/15 games in front of their fans, with Lens winning on the road last time in 2001.
• Fold the last six games between the two teams ended with the hosts winning and the visitors failed to scoring five of those matches.

Nantes vs Lens Prediction

The odds offered by Expekt for a home win sit at 2.05, which means that there is still decent value in backing the hosts to win the opening match. Nantes has been the better team in previous encounters and even without their best striker, they should be more than a match for Lens.

Bet: Nantes @ 2.05 with Expekt