Lens Vs Metz: Fofana to Start as Édouard Drops to Bench

RC Lens will deploy a rotated starting XI on Sunday, moving Odsonne Édouard to the bench and handing the attack to Rayan Fofana in the lens vs metz matchup. March 6 at 3: 46 p. m. ET — Pierre Sage’s selection follows Lens’ progression in the Coupe de France midweek and enforced absences among regulars.

Rayan Fofana to lead Lens attack while captaincy could shift

Rayan Fofana is expected to start in place of Odsonne Édouard, and Adrien Thomasson could be benched, a change that may see Malang Sarr wear the armband for RC Lens. That adjustment alters the immediate leadership on the pitch and Lens’ attacking composition for the Sunday match.

Lens Vs Metz predicted XI reflects Pierre Sage’s enforced absences

Several first-team options are unavailable: Ruben Aguilar, Kyllian Antonio, Samson Baidoo, Jonathan Gradit, Wesley Said and Allan Saint-Maximin are all out, forcing rotation. The predicted lineup listed by L’Éq reads Robin Risser; Malang Sarr, Ismaelo Ganiou, Nidal Celik; Matthieu Udol, Mamadou Sangaré, Andrija Bulatovic, Saud Abdulhamid; Abdallah Sima, Rayan Fofana, Florian Thauvin.

League positions raise the stakes for Lens and Metz on Sunday

Lens sit four points behind Paris Saint-Germain with 10 matches remaining, having moved onto 53 points this season after a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg, surpassing last season’s total of 52 points. Metz arrive as the bottom club, enduring a third consecutive Ligue 1 defeat and a run that leaves them five points behind Auxerre in the race for a relegation playoff spot.

For the matchday 25 clash, the lens vs metz meeting hands Lens a chance to arrest recent dropped points and offers Metz a narrow opportunity to change a bleak run of results. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, March 8 (time to be confirmed in ET). If Lens win, they will trim the four-point gap to Paris Saint-Germain and tighten the race with 10 matches remaining.