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Olympique Lyonnais vs. RC Lens 10/30/21 Ligue 1 Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Olympique Lyonnais vs. RC Lens
October 30, 2021 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: Over 2.5 -175, Under 2.5 +137
(Get latest betting odds)

Olympique Lyonnais is hosting RC Lens at Groupama Stadium in round 12 of the French Ligue 1. Lyon was able to string a few good results together, but they are still out of the top 4 in Ligue 1. Lens on the other hand is having an awesome season, and with 21 points, they are in 2nd place in the Ligue 1 standings.

Lyon has lost their captain and best player, that is true, but they are still a good team on both ends, but it seems they are still getting used to the new coach. Lyon is playing much better than they did when the season started, but they lost their last game against Nice last weekend. Lyon has had 58% of ball possession in that game, 8 shots on goal, 2 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and 86% of the correct passes. Despite having a 0-2 lead in the 68th minute, Lyon conceded a goal in the 80th minute, they conceded a red card in the 85th minute, and 2 more goals in the last 4 minutes of this game. This was a very disappointing game for Lyon, a game in which they lost 3-2. Because of that red card, Kadewere will miss this game for Lyon, while a few other players are injured. Dembele and Paqueta have each scored 4 goals for Lyon so far this season. Lyon is a good team, they just can’t step fully into the light for some reason, and I really hope they will find and fix that reason soon.

I can’t say I’m not surprised to see Lens in 2nd place, but they are having an extraordinary season on both ends. Lens has scored 20 goals so far while conceding only 12, and they absolutely deserve to be where they are. Said, Gango, Fofana, and Frankowski have each scored 3 goals for Lens, while Clauss and Sotoca added 3 assists each. Lens is also in great form, and they have won 5 of their last 7 games, including their latest game against Metz at home. Lens has had 56% of ball possession in that game, 5 shots on goal, 5 corner kicks, 4 big chances created, and 85% of the correct passes. What a performance from Lens, and a well-deserved win at home. The final score was 4-1. It’s always nice to see a smaller team close to the top, and I utterly enjoy it, but it also makes me wonder for how long Lens can keep this up. We usually see smaller teams do this, but then sometime after Christmas, they just break and drop in the standings. I hope this won’t be Lens’ story.

Lyon is undefeated at home so far this season, they haven’t lost any of their last 10 home games. Lens is doing a great job, on both ends, and I think they deserve more credit in this game than to be a +375 underdog. I don’t think Lyon has that big of an edge here if they have it at all. I’m taking the draw.

Goran Kucar's Free Pick: Draw +320

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Goran Kucar

I was born and raised in Croatia, and with that, I was raised with soccer all around me. I love playing soccer, watching soccer, and now I love writing and handicapping soccer at PickDawgz and SportsChatPlace.

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