RC Lens were tipped to regress after last season's stunning Ligue 1 title challenge, but after a Super Cup win over Paris Saint-Germain and an opening round 5-2 rout of Auxerre, optimism returned at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
However, the loss of key men, most notably manager Pierre Sage and midfield pair Adrien Thomasson and Mamadou Sangare, has caught up with them.
Lens are struggling and while the international break may have helped them regroup, Friday's visit from red-hot Lyon is unlikely to go to plan.
RC Lens v Lyon Tips Summary
Best Bet - Lyon draw no bet @ 10/11
Alternative Bet - Ernest Nuamah to score or assist @ 11/8
Bet Builder - Lois Openda 2+ shots on target, Corentin Tolisso 1+ shots on target & Florian Thauvin 1+ shots on target @ 11/1
RC Lens v Lyon Prediction
Best Bet: Lyon draw no bet @ 1/1
Lens' bright start did not take long to fizzle out as they were beaten 2-1 at Strasbourg immediately after hammering Auxerre, and they have not tasted victory in the league since.
That dismal run includes a 2-2 draw with promoted Le Mans, as well as a 1-0 home defeat to Lorient, so it is hard to see them coping with a Lyon side who thrashed a very good Rennes team 4-0 before the international hiatus.
That result extended OL's unbeaten run to five games and with that sequence including an away draw at big-spending Paris FC and a 2-1 road win over Anderlecht, they will fear nothing on their Friday travels.
Play safe and back Lyon draw no bet in case the break has refreshed a talented home squad, but even then it is hard to see them defeating the much-improved visitors.
Alternative Bet: Ernest Nuamah to score or assist @ 7/5
There is no argument as to who was the star man in Lyon's rout of Rennes, as Ernest Nuamah's show-stealing brace led his side to victory while also suggesting he is beginning to live up to his potential.
The Ghanaian has long been touted as a player destined for the top, and with his return to the season bringing three goals and one assist in four Ligue 1 games, he is finally showing why.
Nuamah was on target for Ghana as well during the international break, showing that he is also ready to step up for his nation after an injury-disrupted 2025/26 season, and he is the obvious threat to Lens' goal.
RC Lens v Lyon Bet Builder Tip
Lois Openda 2+ shots on target
Corentin Tolisso 1+ shots on target
Florian Thauvin 1+ shots on target
Pays 11/1
Both teams do their best work in attack and an exciting game is on the cards, so expect plenty of shots, especially from Lois Openda.
The speedy Belgian has racked up 13 shots on target in nine Lyon appearances and looks set to test the opposing goalkeeper at least twice for the fourth time in six club outings.
Openda is not Lyon's only threat either. Corentin Tolisso has thrived in a more advanced position this term, averaging a shot on target every 76 minutes, and the visitors' skipper could step up again.
At the other end, Florian Thauvin rates Lens' best attacker, as the former Newcastle winger has fired off nine shots on target in five Ligue 1 appearances, was on the scoresheet in the last head-to-head and is unafraid to let fly from range if the hosts struggle to break Lyon down.
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Key Match Stats
Lyon have won three and lost none of their last five games
Lens have suffered three losses during a four-match winless run in Ligue 1
Lois Openda has failed to register a shot on target in only one of his nine Lyon appearances
Both teams to score has been a winning bet in five of Lens' last six matches
The away side has won the last three Ligue 1 head-to-heads
Lyon have lost only two of their last eight away games
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
