Preview: Lens vs Arsenal – prediction, team news, line-ups

Arsenal will embark on a journey to Northern France at the start of October for their second Champions League Group B encounter against last season’s surprise package, Lens, at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

If you’re eager to attend the match, Lens vs Arsenal tickets are available at Seatsnet.com, allowing you to make arrangements for the trip to France ahead of next week’s clash.

Arsenal narrowly defeated Brentford 1-0 in their midweek Carabao Cup encounter, with Thomas Frank convinced that the Gunners were fortunate to emerge unscathed from the London derby. 

Reiss Nelson took advantage of a mistake from Zanka to break the deadlock for Arsenal just eight minutes into the match. 

However, the Gunners owe their victory to goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and a crucial Jakub Kiwior block that preserved their lead against the Bees.

Arteta’s side are now poised for a second consecutive Carabao Cup London derby as they have been drawn to face West Ham United in the fourth round. 

Nevertheless, they will first head to the South Coast to face Bournemouth this weekend on the back of three consecutive away clean sheets before travelling to France in next week’s Champions League encounter.

Arsenal’s defensive vulnerabilities cost them in last weekend’s 2-2 North London derby draw against Tottenham Hotspur, as Ange Postecoglou’s side came from behind twice to secure a point, thanks to a brace from Son Heung-min.

Although the Gunners remain unbeaten, they have struggled to find their rhythm in attack, tallying just 11 goals thus far, which is the joint-worst attacking record among the top eight teams, along with West Ham.

The upcoming trip to Bournemouth offers Arteta’s men an opportunity to improve their goal tally, considering they put three past the Cherries in last season’s edition of this fixture.

Despite their lengthy injury list, securing a victory at the Vitality will boost confidence further ahead of their journey to France, where they will fancy their chances of thwarting Lens on their home turf.

Franck Haise’s team have had a less-than-ideal start to the season, but they managed to secure a victory against Strasbourg in their latest outing despite the scoreline not fully reflecting their dominance.

They emerged as 1-0 winners at Stade de la Meinau, although they were guilty of spurning two big chances that could have widened the margin even further.

Nonetheless, Elye Wahi bagged his first goal in a Lens shirt after seven attempts across all competitions, securing only their second victory of the 2023/24 campaign.

The 20-year-old striker combined effectively with Florian Sotoca before confidently slotting home with his weaker foot to clinch the match-winner. He will be eager to add to his tally when Arsenal visits.

The win against Strasbourg saw Lens record consecutive Ligue 1 victories for the first time this season, having previously secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Toulouse.

They fell behind just after the half-hour mark through Cesar Gelabert, but goals from Wesley Said and Morgan Guilavogui were enough to secure a comeback victory for last season’s runners-up.

Lens appear to be gaining momentum ahead of their Champions League clash with Arsenal, which is a welcome development for the club, given their challenging start to the season.

After finishing as runners-up in the previous season, narrowly missing out on the league title by just one point to Paris Saint-Germain, there were high expectations for the current season.

However, Haise’s squad collected just one point from their opening five Ligue 1 games in 2023/24, which came in a 1-1 draw against Stade Rennais last month.

There appears to be better fortunes on the horizon for the French side, and they will be eager to prove they belong in Europe’s premier club tournament when they face Arsenal next week.

Match Preview

Lens

Lens proved their mettle in the Champions League Group B curtain raiser against Sevilla, holding the Europa League title holders to a 1-1 draw at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Los Nervionenses took the lead inside the opening ten minutes through Lucas Ocampos, spelling doom for the French side, who were making only their third appearance in the Champions League.

However, Haise’s side demonstrated enormous resilience and fighting spirit to emerge from hostile territory with a valuable point as Angelo Fulgini levelled matters in the 24th minute.

Lens face the challenging task of qualifying for the Champions League knockout round from a group that features heavy hitters from across Europe.

But if their match against Sevilla is anything to go by, Haise’s side could give their Group B counterparts a run for their money, starting with next week’s clash against Arsenal.

Arsenal

Making their maiden Champions League group stage appearance since 2017, Arsenal made light work of Eredivisie heavyweights PSV Eindhoven in their Group B opener.

Goals from Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Odegaard ensured the Gunners collected maximum points in a 4-0 win over PSV.

Arsenal are considered favourites to secure qualification from Group B, and they will be aiming to advance to the knockout rounds as the group leaders.

Their resounding victory against PSV served as a statement to the other teams in the group, and the Gunners intend to capitalize on their earlier success by securing another win against Lens in France.

Team News

Lens emerged from the Toulouse encounter unscathed on the injury front so there are no new absentees to report from their squad, barring any unforeseen training setbacks.

However, they will be without Massadio Haidara and David Costa, with the pair confined to the treatment room as they continue their recovery from a thigh problem and a dislocated shoulder, respectively.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have had to deal with a growing injury list in recent weeks but will hope to have most of their key players available for next week’s fixture.

Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber are guaranteed absentees as they recover from long-term injuries while Trossard, Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Declan Rice will hope to play a part in Tuesday’s fixture.

Lens potential starting line-up:

(3-4-2-1): Brice Samba; Facundo Medina, Kevin Danso, Jonathan Gradit; Deiver Machado, Andy Diouf, Nampalys Mendy, Ruben Aguilar; Angelo Fulgini, Florian Sotoca; Elye Wahi.

Arsenal potential starting line-up:

(4-3-3): David Raya; Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Ben White; Jorginho, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz; Gabriel Jesus, Edward Nketiah, Bukayo Saka.

We Say: Lens 1-3 Arsenal

Arsenal are one of only two Premier League clubs to maintain an unbeaten start to the season across all competitions, although it remains to be seen how their clash with Bournemouth pans out.

However, they should have enough in the tank to see off their French counterparts, who will head into the match on the back of a three-match unbeaten run.