Both set for midtable finishes, Toulouse and Lens play for pride when they clash at Stadium de Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Saturday night.
Les Violets secured a surprise 2-1 success over Rennes last time out, whilst Les Sang et Or managed to snatch three points from the base of Lyon.
Match preview
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After a wretched five-game losing run between the end of March and April, Toulouse have collected four points from their last two matches, securing their status as a Ligue 1 club for at least another 12 years following promotion to the top table of French football back in 2022.
Les Violets enjoyed their first victory in eight games last Saturday afternoon, when goals either side of the half-time whistle from Yann Gboho and Aron Donnum were enough for three points against Rennes, who were slated by their own head coach at the end of the contest.
Earning a morale-boosting maximum last time out, Carles Martinez‘s troops have moved up to 38 points and sit 12th in the Ligue 1 standings ahead of this weekend’s hosting of Lens, seven points ahead of Le Havre in the relegation-playoff spot with only six points left to fight for.
Martinez’s men were in the midst of a worrying six-match winless run in front of their own supporters until the narrow success over Rennes last weekend, with Les Violets’ only other triumph at Stadium de Toulouse in 2025 arriving on January 15 against second-tier Laval in Coupe de France.
Scoring just 19 times across 16 home Ligue 1 fixtures this term, Toulouse have struggled to set the world alight on their own patch, meaning that a tightly-fought affair should be expected on Saturday night.
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Following a glamorous campaign in the Champions League during 2023-24, Lens are back to the rough and tumble of domestic life this time around, with Saturday night’s visitors unable to qualify for European competition during what remains of a highly-competitive Ligue 1 term.
Les Sang et Or’s alternation between victory and defeat continued on Sunday afternoon when they secured a success at the base of Lyon, with strikes from Gouduine Koyalipou and Anass Zaroury getting the job done at Groupama Stadium for the possession-starved visitors.
Struggling to hit a winning run of late, Lens are now out of contention for a European finish this season, with Will Still‘s troops sitting in eighth spot currently, nine points behind sixth-placed Strasbourg, who are thriving under the leadership of Englishman Liam Rosenior.
A serious cause for optimism ahead of Saturday’s jaunt to Toulouse, Les Sang et Or have an excellent record on the road in Ligue 1 this campaign, collecting 28 points across 16 outings, with only runaway champions and European finalists Paris Saint-Germain (37) earning more points on their respective travels.
Lens have won each of their last three trips to Stadium de Toulouse stretching back to October 2014, when a young Benjamin Bourigeaud was on the scoresheet for the visitors during a two-goal success.
Team News
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Toulouse are currently without the services of leading marksman Zakaria Aboukhlal, who is unlikely to feature again this season owing to a muscle injury.
Les Violets are also unable to call upon the services of Niklas Schmidt, with the German sidelined since January because of a serious knee problem.
Earning a straight red card against Nantes on April 27, Noah Edjouma remains suspended for the hosting of Les Sang et Or on Saturday night.
Lens have a number of players who are ruled out for the rest of the term, including Remy Lascary (knee) and striker M’Bala Nzola (knee).
Neil El Aynaoui is suspended for the visitors, whilst Denis Petric and Jhoanner Chavez are recovering from back and ankle problems respectively.
Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Restes; Sidibe, Cresswell, Canvot; Kamanzi, Casseseres Jr, Sierro, Donnum; Gboho, King, Magri
Lens possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Gradit, Bah, Medina; Ojediran, Mendy, Zaroury, Thomasson, Machado; Koyalipou, Diouf
We say: Toulouse 1-2 Lens
After standout victories at Lyon and Brest recently, Lens should be confident of repeating the trick on the road once again this weekend.
Toulouse have struggled on their own turf this calendar year and are likely to suffer a 15th defeat of the league campaign on Saturday night.
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