Lens vs Bordeaux Match preview

French Ligue 1: Lens vs Bordeaux

Home side need a victory to stay in the league, while Bordeaux have the chance to get the title if Lyon lose and they win. So, both sides will play to win which guarantees a very good football.

Weak at home, pathetic away

This is the last chance for Lens to prove that they have more quality than the standings show. It won’t at all be easy since they are hosting the best team in France at the moment aside from Lyon of course.
On the beginning of the season they planned to fight for a European spot, or even the Champions League. Pretty soon they realised that these are just illusions and became aware that they will have to fight to survive. They drew more than half of the home matches though we should mention that in the few matches over the last few months they earned three points but didn't have luck in taking them. They conceded goals in the last moments and this could easily cost them a place in the first league next season.
Last week they failed to remain unbeaten against Lille. They tried as much as they could but home side were too strong for them. They didn’t give up even after they conceded the second goals but all they managed to do was to reduce the goal margin.
They showed on several occasions that they can play good against strong teams; they won Lyon 3:0 at home and they definitely won't give up without a fight.
They have a lot of injury problems. Hilton, Boukari and Dindane won’t play. This is a great handicap and the question is if they can compensate for that.

Can the best coach in France lead his side to the title?

Lorain Blanc has showed that after a great career as a player he will have even better career as a coach. He managed to transform Bordeaux from an extremely defensive squad to an offensive one and the results followed. Only Lyon scored more goals, and defense still seems pretty good.
The players have accepted the novelties pretty good and after years of Lyon’s absolute domination Blanc managed to compromise their primacy. They started the second part of the season with a winning run at home while they also play fantastic away if we disregard a minor crisis in March. Although it seemed at one moment that the second place is the most they can hope for, they patiently kept on decreasing the gap and now they are only two points behind.
Last week they routinely won Sochaux and continued the race with Lyon. Although they played without injured Micoud and suspended Cavenaghi, and Wendel had a bad day, not for a single moment did their triumph come into question. Chamakh was, as always, good and some of the players that didn’t play much this season showed that they can demonstrate quality too.
They have many quality players that can solve the match on their own and that is Bordeaux’s main weapon. They have a high team spirit where the quality of the players is best realised.
They will attack from the start and an early goal would help them a lot since then they would have much more space in the attack. Still, they mustn’t rush forward since Lens can be very dangerous when they get the chance.
Bordeaux’s midfield will be weaker since Micoud and Alonso won’t play. Rame and Jussie won’t play but Cavenaghi is back.

Betting Verdict

Lens are able to lift the form against best teams and the tradition is on their side. Bordeaux haven’t won at home for a long time; they haven’t scored a single goal in the last five years. A lot depends on this match for Lens, so this is another advantage for them but the quality is on Bordeaux side. We think that Lens are closer to victory but you should still skip betting on final outcome. Both sides will play to win, since any other score will suit neither of the sides. That is why we think that the best choice will be over 2.5 goals.

Our tip: Bet 5 on Over 2.5 goals
Odds 2 at
Bookmaker: Gamebookers