Lens to direct Brest fury at Angers? | OneFootball

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·25 November 2021

Lens to direct Brest fury at Angers?

Article image:Lens to direct Brest fury at Angers?

Battered by Brest in Round 14, Lens will attempt to get back to winning ways and rise to provisional second place in the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table when they host Angers on Friday evening.

LENS – ANGERS (kick-off at 20:00 GMT on Friday)


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Franck Haise’s Lens fell 4-0 at Brest on Sunday and have lost two of their last three Ligue 1 matches. Angers may have beaten Lorient 1-0 in Round 14 but that victory was on home soil and their away form has been shaky with only one win in their last 11 away dates, though they have managed six draws.

Lens will have to cope without the injured Wesley Saïd and Deiver Machado, while Arnaud Kalimuendo is suspended, though the forward’s absence is compensated for by the return of Florian Sotoca from suspension.

Haise: "I was very disappointed"

Haise expects a reaction from his players after the poor display in Brittany. He said: “I was very disappointed and when I looked back at the video the day after the game, we were far off the level we need to produce. It’s true that in the first half we had five chances and they had three and they led 3-0. That said, in the first 20 minutes we were far off the attacking intensity we needed to show, particularly given the side we were facing. There was disappointment that lingered for several days and we need to do better. It’s possible to lose to any side but not in that manner.”

The Lens boss has been impressed with what Gérald Baticle has achieved at Angers, who are sixth in the table and have lost only three games this season, one fewer than Lens who have three points more than Friday’s opponents. Haise commented: “They’ve been going well since the start of the season. The new coaching staff has come in and they’ve put different ideas in place. They’ve got really good technique in midfield and with their forwards. They’ve found a good balance. They’re capable of posing problems with their attacking play. They are also capable, when they win the ball back, of breaking forward quickly and doing a lot of damage. I understand why they are near the top of the table.”

Baticle: "Interesting position"

Angers badly needed their win against Lorient following a winless run of four matches and Baticle said: “We haven’t lost many games this season but it was important to get back to winning ways and experience the winning emotions that give you invaluable confidence for the games to come. The three points put us back into an interesting position in the table and reward the hard work put in during the match and in training. We’re not going to hide away from saying we’re ambitious every time we take to the field.”

Baticle is without injured forward Bilal Brahimi, while goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni has been resighted at the training ground but this weekend will come too soon for France’s Olympics goalkeeper to make his return to action following a lung infection.

Probable Teams:

Lens: (to follow)

Angers: (to follow)

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