- Team form: Monaco have won five consecutive games in all competitions.
- Recent form: Lens have won three and lost two of their last five competitive games.
- Away form: Lens have lost their only Ligue 1 away game this season, scoring 1.00 goals per away game on average.
Monaco have the momentum and moxie to take down Lens
AS Monaco are the team to beat in Ligue 1 2026/2027 after three games, but RC Lens aren't far off at all and they look likely to put up a good fight in Friday's clash at the Stade Louis II. Adama is yet to find his feet and it's the likes of Paris Brunner who are starting to pick up the scoring slack, but the Monaco are still 2nd in the table with nine points from a possible nine.
Lens are 10th after three rounds with three points on the board after a 0-1 defeat at home to Lorient in Ligue 1 2026/2027 was followed by a 3-2 win away to Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League. The visitors have lost their only Ligue 1 2026/2027 road game so far and are scoring an average of 1.00 goals on their travels, so Monaco should come out on top in this clash.
Lens can keep it close with pace and pressure
Prediction
Monaco should have the edge in this encounter, but Lens' pace and pressing can keep things tight, so we'll play it safe with a win at 2.28, which is better than Lens at 2.78 or the 3.7 available for the draw.
Tactics and key players
- Filipe Luis has done a fantastic job getting Monaco playing a proactive, possession-first style of soccer with a strong pressing game and fast transitions.
- Aleksandr Golovin is providing the quality in the number 10 position with two assists in three games, but Paris Brunner has two goals in three matches to lead the Ligue 1 2026/2027 goalscoring for Monaco.
- He has scored four of Monaco's 11 goals across the last five games and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him continue that trend on Friday.
- Dino Toppmoeller has Lens playing a vertical, high-intensity style of 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 football based around his wing-backs and fast breaks.
- Florian Thauvin has three goals in his three Ligue 1 2026/2027 games so far and is the main danger man for the visitors with two goals in his last five games.
Stalemate on the horizon
A draw is a possibility in this match-up, but Monaco are a team with momentum and should be able to overcome a Lens side that isn't performing as well as they might. Monaco are yet to win either of their last two home games against Lens, so this has all the hallmarks of a close, competitive chess match.
Over 2.5 goals at 1.5 is a great fit for this match-up as Monaco are attacking and Lens will press, so both teams to score seems a great option at 1.42 as well.
