Sevilla vs Lens Match Analysis & Prediction
20/09/2023 10:00 pm
Taking a weclome break from miserable domestic campaigns, La Liga strugglers Sevilla host a declining Lens side in Group B of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Sevilla added a seventh Europa League trophy to their cabinet to return to the continent’s premier competition last season, while Lens collected the silver medal in Ligue 1, and the two sides will also face Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven for a knockout berth.
Alongside losing to Manchester City in the UEFA Super Cup – in a game where their previous penalty prowess eluded them – Sevilla were beaten in each of their first three La Liga matches of the new season against Valencia, Alaves and Girona, but a Sergio Ramos homecoming finally helped Los Palanganas shut up shop against Las Palmas last time out.
Ramos’ return to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was not warmly received by the entire Sevilla faithful, but on the four-time Champions League winner’s second debut for the club, Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side kept Las Palmas at bay and won 1-0 through a second-half Dodi Lukebakio goal.
A first competitive victory in two months is just what the doctor ordered for a Sevilla side who have only won two of their last 14 matches in the Champions League.
Sevilla exited the 2021-22 and 2022-23 group stages with just a single win to their name on each occasion, but both of those came at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where Lens could become Los Palanganas’ next victims barring a rapid upturn in fortunes.
The celebrated Franck Haise has taken just three years to lead Lens from a Ligue 1 team to a Champions League-competing crop, as the club came to within one point of title glory in the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season, only to end up bowing to Paris Saint-Germain’s superiority again.
Lens are not complete novices in Europe, but their only two previous Champions League appearances in 1998-99 and 2002-03 ended in the group stage, and an overnight solution to their offensive and defensive concerns must be sought by Haise lest he oversee another chastening defeat in his side’s first-ever competitive encounter with Sevilla.
Sevilla vs. Lens Head to head
This will be the first meeting between these two teams.
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20/09/2023SevillaN/ALensN/AChampions League
Sevilla Team News
Sevilla have two centre-backs in Marcao and Tanguy Nianzou out with hamstring and quadriceps injuries respectively, while left-back Marcos Acuna joins the former on the hamstring issues list.
Goalkeeper Alfonso Pastor is also on the long road back from knee surgery, allowing Marko Dmitrovic to continue as the last line of defence.
Sevilla's Last 5 Matches
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11/08/2023Sevilla1Valencia2La Liga
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16/08/2023Manchester City(P)1Sevilla1UEFA Super Cup
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21/08/2023Alaves4Sevilla3La Liga
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26/08/2023Sevilla1Girona2La Liga
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17/09/2023Sevilla1Las Palmas0La Liga
Lens Team News
Lens’ long-term ACL victims Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez remain out of contention for the time being, while Nampalys Mendy (thigh) and David Costa (shoulder) should not return before the end of the month either.
Argentinian defender Facundo Medina will return from a domestic suspension to join Kevin Danso and Jonathan Gradit in a familiar back three.
Lens's Last 5 Matches
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13/08/2023Brest3Lens2Ligue 1
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20/08/2023Lens1Rennes1Ligue 1
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26/08/2023PSG3Lens1Ligue 1
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02/09/2023Monaco3Lens0Ligue 1
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16/09/2023Lens0Metz1Ligue 1
Sevilla vs. Lens: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
1X2: 1
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