Lens vs Monaco Preview and Prediction: Home team misses out
The match between Lens and Monaco in League 1 will take place at 2:00 AM on May 18th. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes the form, provides football commentary, and predicts the score.
Latest team news for Lens vs Monaco
Lens suffered a setback after their draw against Toulouse when left-back Deever Machado sustained a hamstring injury midway through the second half and will be unavailable for the match.
However, manager Will Still received good news as former Monaco defender Ruben Aguilar has recovered from his thigh injury and can play as a replacement on the left wing in his reunion with his old club.
Besides Machado, Lens are also missing several other players such as Remy Lascary (anterior cruciate ligament), M'Bala Nzola (knee), Jhoanner Chavez (ankle), and goalkeeper Denis Petric (back).
For Monaco, Denis Zakaria – who scored against Lyon – had to leave the field in the final minutes due to an injury of unknown severity, and his availability for the next match remains uncertain.
If Zakaria is absent, Monaco's midfield will be in trouble as Aleksandr Golovin (groin) and Al-Musrati (calf) are also injured. Songoutou Magassa could be brought in to fill the void.
Young talent Maghnes Akliouche – who was once rumored to be heading to the Premier League (but later denied) – is likely to continue as a starter, supporting strikers Mika Biereth and Breel Embolo up front.
Latest predicted lineups for Lens vs Monaco
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 football match prediction: Lens vs Monaco
Lens – one of the most outstanding success stories in French football over the past five years since their promotion in 2020 – has gradually become accustomed to European competition. However, unless a series of extremely favorable events occur, they will not be participating in this competition next season.
Unable to replicate the miracles under Franck Haise – who now has the chance to lead Nice to the Champions League 2025-26 – manager Will Still experienced a season full of ups and downs, with Lens' only consistent element being… inconsistency.
Prior to last weekend's match, Lens had won 8 and lost 9 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 have already secured a top 10 finish in Ligue 1, but to qualify for the Conference League, they not only need to outperform Brest (who finished 8th) but also need PSG to beat Reims in the French Cup final and hope Lyon are banned from competing by UEFA due to financial issues.
However, their home form is very poor: Lens lost both of their last two Ligue 1 home games with a combined score of 0-6 – losing 0-2 to Reims and 0-4 to Auxerre. Throughout the season, half of their home Ligue 1 matches ended in defeat.
Meanwhile, Monaco have secured a top 3 spot – meaning direct qualification to the Champions League group stage next season – and can begin preparing for their next European campaign.
A five-match unbeaten streak has put Les Monegasques four points clear of Nice, Lille, and Strasbourg. If they achieve a better result than Marseille in the final round, Monaco could even finish the season as runners-up – 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 within just six minutes – a result that helped them close the gap on Marseille in the race for second place.
However, Monaco's away record isn't particularly impressive, with only 2 wins in their last 11 away games in Ligue 1. Even so, one of those wins came in their most recent match against Saint-Etienne.
Notably, their attack has maintained a high scoring rate – Monaco have scored in all nine of their most recent away matches in Ligue 1. The 1-1 draw against Lens in the first leg also extended their unbeaten streak against this opponent to four matches, since their 0-3 defeat more than two years ago.
Latest Lens vs Monaco score prediction
Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for 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 can I watch Lens vs Monaco live?
To watch the Lens vs Monaco match live in League 1 at 2:00 AM on May 18th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.
