Match Preview: Rennes 1-1 Lens Prediction and Betting Tips | Ligue 1

Rennes – Lens Prediction and Tips for today, August 8, 2021

Rennes – Lens Match Preview

• In an historic season which saw them make a UEFA Champions League debut, last term marked Rennes’ third top-six finish in four Ligue 1 (L1) campaigns. Despite making just one summer signing as of August 4 (Kamaldeen Sulemana, £15m), they will be aiming to at least emulate their seven-game unbeaten start to 2020/21 (W4, D3).
• Rennes’ winning start to their home campaign last season added positively to an impressive record across their last five L1 home openers (W4, L1). However, patience may be needed if another win is forthcoming, with three of Rennes’ four goals scored across their first two L1 home wins of last term coming beyond the 75th minute.
• Visitors Lens finished just one point short of Rennes – and European football – last term. Yet, their 7th placed finish represented the club’s highest in French football since 2006/07 (fifth place). This was aided by an early glut of four wins in five, following a day-one defeat vs Nice, which was the first of three games during Lens’ opening quartet to see them net a penalty.
• More recently though, a terrible May run-in last term (D1, L3) prevented Lens from finishing higher, and they lost five of six halves ‘to nil’ across the defeats, including all three first halves. As such, leading here at HT for a second successive season may be a key to success, especially as 85.71% of their L1 away games won/lost in 2020/21 saw the same FT result as HT.
• Players to watch: Eduardo Camavinga netted decisively in Rennes’ winning start to their 2020/21 home league campaign. However, he may ultimately be upstaged if Gaël Kakuta scores from the spot again for Lens – as he did three times across their first four L1 games of last term, en-route to becoming their top scorer (11 goals).
• Hot stat: Going back to the 2016/17 season, 21 of the last 30 top-six finishers won their season opener (70.0%).