AS Monaco vs. RC Lens 8/21/21 Ligue 1 Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

AS Monaco is hosting RC Lens at Stade Louis II in round 3 of the French Ligue 1. Monaco has been struggling lately, and they are on a 2-game losing streak, while they haven’t scored a goal in those two games. Lens has lost only 1 of their last 8 games, while not losing any of their first two Ligue 1 games.

Monaco has 2 important games ahead of them, one is in Ligue 1, and one is in the Champions League qualifications against Shakhtar Donetsk on the road next week. In the first leg of this matchup, Monaco has had 46% of ball possession, 6 shots on goal, 8 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and 85% of the correct passes. Monaco has created a lot of good chances, but they just couldn’t find a way to the net. The final score was 0-1 in favor of Shakhtar. As far as Ligue 1 goes, after Monaco tied their season opener, they lost to Lorient on the road last weekend, and that was a big surprise. Martins is the only goalscorer for Monaco in Ligue 1 with only 1 goal so far. The offense is the biggest problem for Monaco right now, but their defense is not far behind. As I’ve mentioned, Monaco has 2 important games ahead of them, and they need to get back on the winning track.

Lens hasn’t lost many games, but they also haven’t won a lot of games, including any of their first two games in Ligue 1. In their game against Saint-Etienne last weekend, Lens was the better team with 58% of ball possession, 7 shots on goal, 7 corner kicks, 0 big chances created, and 82% of the correct passes. Lens was losing twice in this game, but they were able to get back both times. Lens was also close to getting a win here, but this game has ended in a 2-2 draw. with 2 goals, Fofana is the leading goalscorer for Lens, while Ganago added 1 goal. Banza, Frankowski, and Clauss added 1 assist each. Offensively, Lens is solid, they are creating chances and scoring a lot of goals, but they are also conceding a lot of goals. Honestly, I see Lens somewhere in the middle of the standings this season, but if by some miracle they can stay consistent, they might be fighting for the Conference League. Lens is undefeated in their last 5 games, but Monaco has been dominant at home in this matchup. I think this will be a fun game, and with neither team playing good defense, I expect a lot of chances and goals. I’m taking the over.