Lens vs Arsenal Predictions
Published on 7:00pm GMT 3 October 2023
- 19:00
- Expired
- Stade Bollaert-Delelis
- TNT Sports 2
Arsenal to Win and Under 2.5 Match Goals
Reasoning
Lens vs Arsenal Predictions
- Arsenal have won 11 of their last 17 European away games
- Four of Lens’ last seven games have gone under 2.5 goals
- Martin Odegaard has scored in five of his last nine 10 appearances for Arsenal
Progressive Lens no pushovers
Arsenal’s return to Champions League football couldn’t have gone much better after ending a six-year hiatus with a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven on matchday 1.
They now make the short hop across the English Channel to face Lens, another side back in Europe’s top club competition after a lengthy absence with the Gunners odds-on to make it two wins from two in Group B.
It’s easy to see why Mikel Arteta’s men are expected to make light work of their French opponents having made an unbeaten start to the season, winning seven of their first nine matches in all competitions.
In contrast, Lens, who last played in Europe in the 2007/08 season, were slow out of the blocks, losing four of their first five matches in Ligue 1.
But a 1-1 draw away to Sevilla on Matchday 1 seemed to boost confidence and they’ve since won back-to-back games in Ligue 1, beating Toulouse and Strasbourg.
Having lost their star striker Lois Openda, who bagged 21 goals last season, to RB Leipzig in the summer and brought in a raft of new players, it’s taken a while for Franck Haise to bring together his new charges.
But they’ve looked far more like the side that finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain last season in their last three games, producing well-organised and disciplined displays while getting some production from big-money signing Elye Wahi, who bagged his first goal in the win over Strasbourg.
Gunners may need to grid it out
Lens had the best home record in Ligue 1 last season, losing just once in the league at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, which will be rocking for the return of Champions League football after 21 years.
Les Sang et Or took four points off Arsenal when they were paired together in the 1998/99 Champions League group stage in a couple of tight games and there may not be much between the sides again, 25 years on.
Arsenal have been perfect away from home this season, Saturday’s 4-0 victory at Bournemouth making it four road wins on the spin, all to nil.
The Gunners’ options for the trip to France could be slightly limited with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus both taking knocks in the win at Bournemouth, while Gabriel Martinelli remains sidelined.
Arsenal can rely on Captain Marvel
But there’s still enough attacking quality in the squad to open up Lens with Martin Odegaard having developed a handy knack for scoring on the road recently.
The Arsenal captain bagged from the penalty spot at Bournemouth, his fourth goal in nine appearances this season, while he’s scored in half of his last ten away games for the North London outfit.
Odegaard could make the difference in what shapes up to be a low-scoring game.
With Arsenal yet to concede an away goal and Lens allowing the fourth fewest shots per game in Ligue 1, under 2.5 goals can be paired with a Gunners win to boost the price for an away win.
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