- OGC Nice has won one, drawn three and lost one of their last five games in all competitions.
- RC Lens has won three, drawn one and lost just one of their last five fixtures.
- The Sang et Or have won seven, drawn three and lost five of their 15 away fixtures in Ligue 1 this term, scoring an average of 1.73 goals per game and conceding 1.40 goals per away game.
Lens’ forward pressure to make final third a no-go area for Nice
RC Lens will hope to justify their 4/5 status as favourites for Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash with OGC Nice and end their winless run at the Allianz Riviera. Pierre Sage’s men, who have been rock-solid in second spot on 63 points from 30 games, are the in-form team going into the game, having won the last head-to-head meeting 2-0 at home in Ligue 1 four months ago.
The Sang et Or have won just one of the last five meetings with Nice, however.
Puel brought a pragmatic style and a sense of calm to a club in crisis when he took over in December 2025 and has started to stabilize the squad.
Odds-against for Over 2.5 goals could be worth chancing
Nice are 15th in the table of Ligue 1 2025-2026 after 31 games with 30 points and are probably too big for this division, but they have recently had a 2-0 win away at Racing Club Strasbourg in the Coupe de France and a 1-1 draw away to Olympique Marseille in Ligue 1.
Puel has brought a degree of organisation and discipline to the team and they are now set up to be compact, play the game at their own pace and counter-attack when they can. The downside is that they don’t press the opposition as much, which can lead to them conceding too many goals.
Sage has set his team up to play an aggressive pressing game with a 3-4-3 system that allows them to push forward together and press opponents back.
Lens’ last two fixtures have been a 4-1 Coupe de France win over FC Toulouse and a thrilling 3-3 away draw at Stade Brestois 29 in Ligue 1. The visitors’ high tempo and coordinated pressing game has driven them up the table and created plenty of width, which Nice will have to be careful of.
We’re going for the win and the goal markets in this one because a high-scoring game seems likely, but our main play is both teams to score. Lens’ away record doesn’t look that impressive, but they haven't won in their last two away visits to Nice.
The odds for the BTTS market are 53/100, but not as short as Over 2.5 goals at 51/100, which is just about right for this intriguing Ligue 1 clash between two contrasting teams.
