Le Havrevs.Lens

The Normandy side are second from the bottom in Ligue 1 after being hammered 5-1 by Marseille, while Les Sang et Or were beaten 1-0 versus Toulouse and sit seventh in the table.

Match preview

It has gone from bad to worse for Didier Digard at Le Havre, with his side currently on a five-match losing run across all competitions.

After 16 Ligue 1 matchdays, they are 17th in the standings, three points below Nantes and a relegation playoff spot and four behind Saint-Etienne for a guaranteed place in the top-flight next season.

Despite the poor form, Didier Digard has been assured by the front office that his job is safe for now, though history does not bode well for his team, given their current standing.

They are the fourth side in the French top-flight this century who have suffered 12 defeats in 16 league contests, with the others being Grenoble (12 in 2009/10), Metz (14 in 2017/18) and Angers (12 in 2022/23), while all of those teams wound up being relegated at the conclusion of their respective campaigns.

Coming into this encounter, Le Havre have lost three consecutive Ligue 1 matches at home without scoring and could suffer four successive home shutout defeats this weekend for the first time in the top-flight.

Les Ciel et Marine have only lost 10% of their home matches against Lens in the 2000s, claiming at least a point in their last nine meetings against them in Normandy.

In the middle of a key departure, Lens have suffered on the field, riding a three-match winless run across all competitions into this weekend.

Their captain, Brice Samba, left to join Rennes this week, days after the club initially blocked the transfer, with the French reserve keeper bringing the Lens goalkeeping coach along with him.

Will Still's side are currently three points below Nice for a place in the Europa Conference League next season, with points in seven of their eight Ligue 1 away encounters in 2024-25.

With 24 points after 16 top-flight matchdays, RC Lens have accumulated two points fewer than they had at this stage of the previous campaign under Franck Haise.

After going unbeaten in their opening eight league contests of the current campaign, they have suffered four defeats in their previous eight domestic affairs.

Les Sang et Or have points in four of their previous five competitive meetings with Le Havre but have not won an away contest against them in the top-flight since May 2003 (3-1).

Le Havre Ligue 1 form:

L

W

L

L

L

L

Le Havre form (all competitions):

W

L

L

L

L

L

Lens Ligue 1 form:

W

L

W

W

D

L

Lens form (all competitions):

L

W

W

D

L

L

Team News

On Sunday, Le Havre could be missing Emmanuel Sabbi, Daler Kuzyayev, Josue Casimir and Issa Soumare due to knocks, while Yann Kitala may also have to sit out because of a foot injury.

Last weekend, Digard made four changes to the side that began their match against Strasbourg, with Kuzyayev, Yassine Kechta, Ilyes Housni and Andre Ayew coming in to replace Christopher Operi, Oussama Targhalline, Rassoul Ndiaye and Steve Ngoura, with the latter recently joining Cercle Brugge in Belgium.

Ayew had their only goal against Marseille last weekend, his first of the domestic campaign, two fewer than the team leader in that department, Abdoulaye Toure.

A cruciate ligament rupture will keep Remy Labeau Lascary on the Lens sidelines for the foreseeable future, while Wesley Said, Neil El Aynaoui, Abdukodir Khusanov and Jhoanner Chavez all sat out last weekend with injuries.

Still could have Sidi Bane and Ruben Aguilar at his disposal despite both players missing the previous Lens encounter with a hamstring and shoulder strain, respectively, while David Costa is out because of a red-card suspension.

To replace Samba, the club is looking to add former Marseille goalkeeper Pau Lopez, though that recent loan move was blocked this week, while reports indicate they are signing Goduine Koyalipou from CSKA Sofia and Turkish side Fenerbahce have reportedly made an offer to Kevin Danso.

Le Havre possible starting lineup:

Desmas; Pembele, Kinkoue, Lloris; Nego, Ndiaye, Toure, Confais, Zouaoui; Logbo, Ayew

Lens possible starting lineup:

Koffi; Frankowski, Danso, Sarr, Machado; Thomasson, Diouf; Sotoca, Fulgini, Zaroury; Satriano

We say: Le Havre 0-1 Lens

Le Havre have the worst attack in the league (12 goals) this season, while Lens have conceded the second-fewest goals (15), and we believe the visitors will not have enough to shut down Les Ciel et Marine and return to winning ways.

Written by

Joel Lefevre

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