Lens vs Monaco review and prediction: Home team misses a beat
The match between Lens vs Monaco in League 1 takes place at 2:00 a.m. on May 18. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes performance, makes football comments and predicts the score.
Latest Lens vs Monaco team information
Lens suffered a blow in their draw with Toulouse when left-back Deiver Machado picked up a hamstring injury midway through the second half and will miss this game.
However, coach Will Still received good news when former Monaco defender Ruben Aguilar recovered from his thigh injury and could play as a replacement on the left wing in the reunion with his old team.
In addition to Machado, Lens is also missing several other players such as Remy Lascary (cruciate ligament), M'Bala Nzola (knee), Jhoanner Chavez (ankle) and goalkeeper Denis Petric (back).
On Monaco's side, Denis Zakaria - who scored against Lyon - had to leave the field in the final minutes due to an injury of unknown severity, and his ability to play is still uncertain.
If Zakaria is absent, Monaco's midfield will be in trouble with Aleksandr Golovin (groin) and Al-Musrati (calf) also injured. Songoutou Magassa could be brought in to fill the void.
Young talent Maghnes Akliouche – who was once rumored to be moving to the Premier League (later denied) – will likely continue to start, supporting the striker pair Mika Biereth and Breel Embolo in attack.
Lens vs Monaco latest expected lineup
Lens:
Ryan; Pouilly, Bah, Gradit, Medina, Aguilar; Thomasson, Mendy, El Aynaoui, Sotoca; Said
Monaco:
Kohn; Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Henrique; Akliouche, Magassa, Camara, Minamino; Biereth, Embolo
Latest Lens vs Monaco football review
Lens – one of the most remarkable success stories in French football over the past five years since promotion in 2020 – have become accustomed to European nights, but unless a series of events goes extremely well, they will not be in the competition next season.
Unable to replicate the miracle under Franck Haise – who now has the chance to take Nice into the 2025-26 Champions League – coach Will Still has had a season full of ups and downs, with Lens' only consistent point being… instability.
Before last weekend's game, Lens had won eight and lost nine of their 17 Ligue 1 games since the start of 2025. Most recently, they drew 1-1 with Toulouse thanks to goals from Yann Gboho and Neil El Aynaoui – their first draw of the calendar year.
Lens are all but certain to finish in the top 10 of Ligue 1, but if they are to qualify for the Conference League, they will not only need to outperform Brest (who finished 8th) but also need PSG to beat Reims in the Coupe de France final and hope Lyon are banned by UEFA for financial reasons.
However, their home form is poor: Lens have lost their last two Ligue 1 home games by an aggregate score of 0-6 – 0-2 to Reims and 0-4 to Auxerre. All season, half of their home Ligue 1 games have ended in defeat.
Meanwhile, Monaco have secured a top 3 spot – meaning a direct ticket to the Champions League group stage next season – and can start preparing for their next European journey.
A five-game unbeaten run has left Les Monegasques four points clear of Nice, Lille and Strasbourg. If they can beat Marseille in the final round, Monaco could even finish second – something they have only done four times in their history.
Last week, Monaco easily beat Lyon 2-0 thanks to goals from Takumi Minamino and Denis Zakaria in just six minutes – a result that moved them close to Marseille in the race for second place.
However, Monaco's away record is not too outstanding, when only winning 2 of the last 11 away matches in Ligue 1. However, one of those two wins came in the most recent match at Saint-Etienne.
Remarkably, their attack remains prolific – Monaco have scored in each of their last nine away games in Ligue 1. A 1-1 draw against Lens in the first leg also extended their unbeaten run against the opposition to four games, since a 0-3 defeat more than two years ago.
Lens vs Monaco latest score prediction
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Lens vs Monacoas follows:
- Sportsmole:Lens 0-2 Monaco
- WhoScore:Lens 0-3 Monaco
- Our newspaper predicts:Lens 1-2 Monaco
When and where to watch Lens vs Monaco live?
To watch the Lens vs Monaco match live in League 1 at 2:00 a.m. on May 18, viewers can watch it onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.
