When Ligue 1 resumes for its 2022-23 season, Lens hosts Brest at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Sunday with kickoff at 4 pm.
The club, which narrowly missed out on European qualification last season, has been busy preparing for the upcoming campaign with a couple of high-profile friendlies. Lens beat Inter Milan 1-0 in late July and have since held West Ham United to a goalless draw, building optimism around a squad overseen by Franck Haise.
The former B-team boss was promoted to the top job back in 2020 and has reshuffled his pack over the summer break, bringing in Jimmy Cabot as a replacement for Marseille-bound Jonathan Clauss and signing two strikers – Adam Buksa and Lois Openda – ahead of Congo goalkeeper Brice Samba.
However, Brest has other ideas about the points’ destiny on Sunday afternoon. After a 4-0 win at Stade Francis-Le Ble in November, the Breton outfit stunned their northern counterparts with a 1-0 success on away soil during the spring.
Like Lens, Les Pirates have notoriously failed to fire on the first day of the Ligue 1 season for many years, losing four and drawing five of their last nine such matches. Michel Der Zakarian’s men also concluded the 2021-22 campaign on a down note by losing three games in a row by conceding four goals in both of their final two outings.
Lens vs. Brest Head to Head
Both sides have 19 games against each other, with hosts taking nine wins and visitors winning seven. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Lens 1-1 West Ham
- Lens 1-0 Inter
- Clermont 1-3 Lens
- Rodez 0-1 Lens
Away
- Guingamp 2-0 Brest
- Angers 0-2 Brest
- Brest 1-0 Lorient
- Brest 1-0 Avrances
Lens Team News
Lens begins the new season without two of their mainstays from recent success, as Cheick Doucoure and Jonathan Clauss have both left during the summer transfer window. Several signings are set to make league debuts on Sunday, though, including goalkeeper Brice Samba, who joined from Nottingham Forest in June.
Brest Team News
Meanwhile, Brest has lost Inter Milan pair Lucien Agoume and Martin Satriano, both of whom returned to Italy this summer. The club has also signed Pierre Lees-Melou, Mathias Pereira Lage, and—perhaps most intriguingly—Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele. These players could feature this weekend.
Prediction and Odds
As both teams seek to end their dismal opening-day records, Lens will most likely do so due to their greater firepower up front and their home advantage.
- Home Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 2.5
