Metz vs Lens Prediction, 12/19/2020 Ligue 1 Soccer Pick, Tips and Odds

by Tony Sink - 12/18/2020

Game: Metz vs Lens

Date: Saturday, December 19, 2020

Location: Stade Saint-Symphorien in Longeville-lès-Metz, France

TV: ESPN2 Norte

Odds/Point Spread: Metz (+162) Lens (+162)

Stade Saint-Symphorien is the site where Opa Nguette and Metz (5-5-5, 12th in Ligue 1) will take on Lens (7-3-4, 7th in Ligue 1) on Saturday. The goalies who are expected to start are Alexandre Oukidja for Metz and Jean-Louis Leca for Lens. The odds on this contest have Metz coming in at +162 and Lens are priced at +162. The over/under has been set at 2.25.

Metz played Strasbourg in their most recent match and got the draw with a final of 2-2. In sharing the ball, they ended the game with a 78.7% received passes rate by converting 303 of the 385 pass attempts in their last outing. Metz tried 7 dribbles in this game and were able to convert 1 of the tries for a percentage of 14.3%. In relation to shooting accuracy, Metz wrapped this game up at a 55.6% rate by putting 5 shots on target out of 9 shots. Metz is averaging 1.07 g/90 (16 total goals) and have tallied 11 assists in all games for this campaign.

Opa Nguette is a player who should be able to impact this match for Metz. Nguette has started 142 contests during his career and accounts for 0.18 goals per 90 mins. The forward hailing from France has 24 goals in 11,982 mins. He has 9 assists while accumulating 16 yellow cards thus far in his career. One more player who could decide who wins is Farid Boulaya, the forward hailing from France. He has assisted on a goal 14 times during his soccer career and he has scored 17 goals. Boulaya has 8,584 minutes during 94 career starting assignments and has earned himself a total of 14 yellow cards. He has an average of 0.18 goals per 90 mins during his soccer career.

The man who will defend the goal for Metz is Alexandre Oukidja. Oukidja has defended the goal for a total of 11,829 mins and has tallied 273 saves during his soccer career. His goals allowed per 90 minutes is 1.09 (143 total goals allowed) and he is the owner of a save percentage of .721. The goalkeeper from France has faced 384 shots attempted against him in 132 career starting assignments. Oukidja (58-38-36 mark in his career) has earned 44 shutouts, which gives him a 33.3% shutout rate.

The last time they took the field, Lens earned three points by winning 3-0 against Monaco. Lens had a 42.9% successful dribble percentage by completing 9 out of the 21 dribbles they pursued. They wrapped up this outing by converting 652 out of their 714 passing attempts for a percentage of 91.3%. Lens converted 4 shots attempted out of their 9 shots attempted which gave them a 44.4% clip in their last outing. Having earned a total of 22 goals and 14 assists In all their contests, Lens sports an average of 1.57 goals and 1.00 assist per 90.

Gael Kakuta should be someone to watch for Lens. He sports an average of 0.19 goals per 90 mins and has been given a starting assignment in 178 games during his soccer career. The forward from France has been on the field for 15,457 mins while earning 32 goals. He has accumulated 15 yellow card warnings in his career and has assisted a teammate on a goal 29 times. Be sure to keep an eye out for Florian Sotoca, the forward born in France. He has accumulated 23 goals in his career while assisting a teammate on a goal 13 times. Sotoca has been given a total of 9 yellow cards in 6,335 minutes played (72 starting assignments). His goals per 90 min average so far in his career is 0.33.

Jean-Louis Leca is expected to look after the net for Lens. Leca has racked up 71 shutouts and has seen 577 shots against him in 16,810 career minutes. He holds a save % of .724 and his shutout rate is currently 37.6%. He has allowed 1.05 goals per 90 while earning a record of 80-44-63. In his career, Leca has surrendered 196 goals and has accumulated 414 stops in 189 starts.

Who will win tonight's Ligue 1 game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Metz (+162)

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Pick:	Wolverhampton -185
Start:	April 26, 2025 @ 10:00 AM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Comp Soccer pick from Doc’s Sports for Saturday: EPL Take Wolverhampton -185 over Leicester City (10 a.m. EST, Saturday April 26) We don’t mind laying the juice here and a -1.5 bet might not be a bad idea either, as Wolverhampton is in their best form of the season right now and should be extremely confident coming into this one against relegation-bound Leicester after a 1-0 road win over Manchester United last time out. That win secured their place in the Premier League next season and this team has been playing extremely well recently, with five straight wins. Leicester have nothing to play for as they will be relegated, and they have picked up only a single point in their last 10 matches. Wolverhampton seem to be building something special for the future, and we just don’t see them letting up here against an inferior opponent. Last meeting, in December, at King Power Stadium, Wolverhampton cruised to a 3-0 road win, with three goals in the first half. They could have had more but took their foot off the gas. We see a similar dominant performance here, and we had this line handicapped at -225, so there is value on the moneyline despite the high juice. Wolverhampton is not a public team, and that is keeping this line reasonable. Read More Read Less

Metz vs Lens Prediction, 12/19/2020 Ligue 1 Soccer Pick, Tips and Odds

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