Nice v Lens Betting Tips [29 December 2022]

The French Ligue 1 continues in midweek with matchday 17 after the lengthy World Cup break. Closing out the fixture list for the week is OGC Nice hosting RC Lens at the Allianz Riviera on the French south coast. The visiting Lens have been one of the surprise packages of the 2022/23 campaign as last season’s seventh-place finishers are poised to challenge for a Champions League spot and perhaps even an unlikely title challenge. The Blood and Gold currently sit second in the standings with 11 wins, three draws and only one defeat from 15 matches, putting them on 36 points and trailing leaders PSG  by five. Lens entered the World Cup break on a fantastic run of form with five consecutive wins capped off by a 2-1 home victory over Clermont Foot. They were able to keep up that form through the two friendly matches they played in the interim, meaning that the visitors have now won seven straight matches ahead of this fixture. 

They will come up against a Nice side currently sitting ninth in the league table with a record of five wins, five draws and five defeats giving them 20 points. Nice played a number of friendly matches during the break but were unable to put together a consistent run of form against admittedly tough opposition. They beat Belgian side Liege 4-1 before falling to back-to-back defeats against Girona and Atalanta, ultimately capping off the four match run of friendlies with a  1-1 draw against Tottenham. Les Aiglons were in a fairly good run of form in the lead up to the World Cup as they had only suffered one loss in the previous 10 matches in all competitions, with five wins to their name as well.

Lens have been a terrific home side this season with a perfect eight wins from their eight home league matches as well as a +12 goal differential. However, they have been involved in closer matches as the visitors, winning three, drawing three and losing once away from home. Nice don’t have an overwhelmingly positive home record but they have proven themselves to be a tough-to-beat side in recent matches preceding the World Cup break. Our prediction for OGC Nice vs RC Lens is Nice draw no bet.