Still in contention to finish as the best of the rest, Monaco travel to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis to battle Lens on the final day of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season.
Adi Hutter's men trail second-placed Marseille by one point heading into Saturday's showdown, whereas their hosts cannot finish any higher than eighth.
Match preview
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One of French football's biggest success stories over the past five years since their promotion to the big time in 2020, Lens have grown accustomed to nights of continental football recently, but Les Sang et Or will not be playing under the bright European lights next term barring an exceptional set of circumstances.
Unable to replicate the feats of the wily Franck Haise - who could instead now be about to lead Nice to the 2025-26 Champions League - Will Still has overseen the true definition of a mixed bag of results this term, where Lens' only consistency has been their inconsistency.
Les Sang et Or had won eight and lost nine of their first 17 Ligue 1 games of 2025 before last weekend, where goals from Yann Gboho and Neil El Aynaoui saw Still's men hold Toulouse to a 1-1 draw, their first stalemate of the calendar year.
Lens are safe in the knowledge that their top-half finish in the Ligue 1 table is secure, but to potentially nab a Conference League spot on the final day, they need to better eighth-placed Brest's result, hope Paris Saint-Germain beat Reims in the Coupe de France final and also pray for Lyon to suffer a UEFA ban on account of their economic problems.
However, the hosts have been beaten in both of their last two Ligue 1 home games by an aggregate score of 6-0 - going down 2-0 to Reims and shipping four to Auxerre without reply - and 50% of their top-flight matches in front of their own fans this term have ended in defeat.
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As Lens mourn their European dreams, Monaco can make early preparations for another campaign of Champions League football, as Hutter's men have already rubber-stamped the top-three finish that guarantees a spot in next year's league phase.
A five-match unbeaten run has helped Les Monegasques move out of sight of Nice, Lille and Strasbourg - who are all four points behind - and with Marseille only one point better off, the silver medal is not out of the equation for Hutter's troops.
Against Lyon last weekend, two strikes from Takumi Minamino and Denis Zakaria within six minutes of each other sealed a straightforward 2-0 victory for the Principality side, who will achieve back-to-back top-two finishes for just the fifth time by bettering Marseille's result against Rennes.
The visitors do not have their recent away form to thank for their podium placement, though, as Monaco have only prevailed in two of their most recent 11 Ligue 1 games on the road, although one of those successes came in their most recent outing at Saint-Etienne.
Furthermore, Hutter's troops have found the back of the net in nine straight top-flight away fixtures, and a 1-1 draw at home to Lens earlier in the campaign extended their unbeaten sequence against Les Sang et Or to four matches since a 3-0 loss on the road just over two years ago.
Team News
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Lens did not come out of their draw with Toulouse unscathed, as left-back Deiver Machado pulled up with a hamstring problem midway through the second half and has been ruled out of this battle.
However, Still's defensive concerns have been eased by the return of ex-Monaco full-back Ruben Aguilar from his own thigh problem, and the former Monegasques man may have to deputise on the left against his former employers.
Machado is one of several Sang et Or players in the treatment room, as Remy Lascary (ACL), M'Bala Nzola (knee), Jhoanner Chavez (ankle) and Denis Petric (back) are also stricken.
Likewise, Monaco's victory over Lyon was also not without sacrifice as goalscorer Zakaria was forced off with an unspecified concern in the dying embers, and his availability for Saturday is now up in the air.
Zakaria's possible absence would prove problematic for a Monegasques side already missing Aleksandr Golovin (groin) and Al-Musrati (calf), so Songoutou Magassa is waiting in the wings if need be.
The subject of intense speculation surrounding a possible Premier League move - which he has now shot down - playmaking prodigy Maghnes Akliouche should support Mika Biereth and Breel Embolo in the final third once more.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Pouilly, Bah, Gradit, Medina, Aguilar; Thomasson, Mendy, El Aynaoui, Sotoca; Said
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Kohn; Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Henrique; Akliouche, Magassa, Camara, Minamino; Biereth, Embolo
We say: Lens 1-2 Monaco
An unpredictable Lens side facing a Monaco outfit who have struggled to impress away from home has the makings of a fascinating affair, albeit one with little on the line for both outfits.
Hutter's men can always be relied upon to make the net bulge on rival territory, though, so we still expect the Champions League-bound Monegasques to claim maximum points and do all they can for second place.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
