Lens vs Reims review and prediction: 3 points at home

Lens vs Reims latest squad information

Neil El Aynaoui has been in scintillating form in Lens' last five games, scoring twice, assisting once and picking up two Man of the Match awards. However, he will miss this game through suspension after picking up a booking in the defeat to Lille at the end of March.

Winger Remy Labeau Lascary has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Martin Satriano, Jonathan Gradit and Jhoanner Chavez will also remain absent.

Young striker Jeremy Agbonifo could return after being ill and missing the Saint-Etienne game, but Lens' attack is currently facing stiff competition from M'Bala Nzola, Wesley Said and last round's winner Goduine Koyalipou.

For Reims, there was controversy in last week's defeat to Strasbourg when Cedric Kipre was sent off by mistake – Mory Gbane should have been sent off. Kipre remains suspended for now, with no further announcement, while centre-back Joseph Okumu will also miss out with a shoulder injury.

Mohamed Daramy, Yaya Fofana, Gabriel Moscardo and Reda Khadra continue to be unavailable, leaving the visitors' attack relying on Japanese duo Keito Nakamura and Junya Ito, along with the return of striker Jordan Siebatcheu.

Lens vs Reims latest expected lineup

Lens:
Ryan; Sarr, Juma Bah, Medina; Aguilar, Thomasson, A Diouf, Machado; Sotoca, Said, Koyalipou

Reims:
Y Diouf; Aurelio Buta, Sekine, Sangui, Akieme; Gbane, Atangana, Am Kone; Ito, Siebatcheu, Nakamura

Latest Lens vs Reims football review

When it seemed that the hope of qualifying for the Europa League for the third consecutive year had disappeared, coach Will Still and his team unexpectedly rekindled their chance with only six rounds left in the season.

A run of four consecutive defeats in Ligue 1 had almost left Lens with no hope of finishing in the top seven, but they have bounced back with three wins in their last four games to get back into the race.

All three of those wins were 1-0 – one away to Marseille and two at home at the Bollaert-Delelis against Rennes and Saint-Etienne. Remarkably, that was also the number of wins they had in their previous 10 games combined.

The hosts are also looking to claim a third successive home win in Ligue 1 – something that hasn't happened for almost a year and a half – and that run also includes a win over their next opponents, Reims.

Lens start this round of fixtures in ninth place, still five points off the European places with just 18 points left to play for, but this is clearly a much more positive position than a few weeks ago.

Four of Lens' remaining six games are against teams outside the top seven, but if they are to have a real chance they need to take all three points from all of them – and Reims are the lowest-ranked team in that group.

Luckily for the home team, they have a superior head-to-head record against Reims, with 10 wins in their last 12 home games against the team, scoring a total of 30 goals.

Reims last won against Lens in Ligue 1 on their own turf in 1977. Since then, the two teams have met 13 times with the results including 7 wins for Lens and 6 draws.

This situation is even more worrying for Reims – the team is in the relegation play-off group after losing to Strasbourg in the previous round.

With just 26 points after 28 games, this is Reims' worst performance since the 1978-79 season, when they only won 17 points and finished bottom of the table.

Under coach Samba Diawara, Reims drew 0-0 at Brest and ended a 14-game winless streak with a win over Marseille in mid-March. They also reached the final of the French Cup after beating Cannes. However, they are still struggling in the relegation race with their direct rivals all on the scoresheet.

Four of Reims' remaining six games will be away from home – a worrying factor, given they have picked up just six points from their last 10 away games in Ligue 1 and have failed to score in their last four away games.

Angers and Le Havre are just one point ahead of them and remain above the danger zone, while Saint-Etienne are hot on their heels in the direct relegation zone. So instead of preparing for the cup final, Reims will have to focus all their energy on the relegation battle.

Lens vs Reims 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 Reimsas follows:

• Sportsmole:Lens 2-0 Reims

• WhoScore:Lens 1-0 Reims
• Our newspaper predicts:Lens 1-0 Reims

When and where to watch Lens vs Reims live?

To watch the Lens vs Reims match live in League 1 at 1:45 a.m. on April 12, viewers can watch it onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.