It is in a rather heavy context that Lens
will travel to Reims this Friday, opening the 13th day of Ligue 1 (kick-off at 8:45 p.m.). The Artesian club has returned to the ranks after several poor performances across Ligue 1 in recent weeks.
But this match will also and above all have a particular flavor for Will Still, who meets again the club which revealed him. The Lensois coach took stock of the state of his troops. “There are always the same absentees (Aguilar, Cabot, Ganiou, Saïd, Satriano). Gradit and Khusanov return from suspension. Wesley Saïd made his first appearance on the field today, he still needs time. He will be absent on Friday.”
A solidified defense and a major absence in attack
“There is a lot of frustration, Will Still continued. But we arrived 5 months ago, after a project that lasted 5 years. It was up to us to adapt. There is a reality of ranking, we are aware of what we need to improve. There are comfort zones to break, we work on them. We have a process that is underway. We have an identity and principles that are quite clear.”
Lens should therefore present themselves with a further remodeled eleven. Gradit could return to the three-man defense alongside Danso and Medina. In the midfield, there should be no major surprises with the expected starts of Diouf and Thomasson, while Frankowski and Machado are expected in pistons. Nzola is tipped to start up front, with Pereira da Costa and Sotoca in support.
The expected composition for Lens : Samba – Gradit, Danso, Medina – Frankowski, Thomasson, Diouf, Machado – Pereira da Costa, Sotoca – Nzola.
