Ligue 1 26/27 · Round 7 ·
ESTAC Troyes vs Racing Club De Lens preview: Troyes host Lens with the visitors holding the sharper edge
Troyes welcome Lens to the Stade de l'Aube with the home side winless in their last four league matches and sitting 17th on four points. Lens arrive 10th with seven points and a large attacking edge, making them the clear favourites to take the points.
By 10xSharp · Published
This preview was published before kickoff. The match has finished: see the result and full stats. Read the match report.
Who is missing for each side
Troyes are without three players: defender Yvann Titi, forward Anis Ouzenadji and forward Yacouba Kone, all listed as injury. None of those three are among the club's top scorers this season, so the home side's limited attacking output is not further reduced by absence. Lens have three unavailable players of their own, with midfielder Amadou Haidara listed as unavailable and defender Maik Nawrocki and forward Abdallah Sima both out through injury. Sima's absence removes a scorer, as he has one goal this season, which is 9% of the side's goals in this competition.
The attackers carrying each side
Lens forward Florian Thauvin is the standout attacking figure in this match, with three goals and five assists in six matches this season. He sits 10th in the scoring chart and has contributed directly to a large share of his side's 11 goals. Troyes have no player with more than one goal, with Jeremy Le Douaron, Renaud Ripart and Lucas Maronnier each on a single goal. Le Douaron is the club's leading scorer by rank, sitting 29th in the scoring chart, but the home side's attack is spread thin across several players rather than concentrated in one threat.
Who arrives in better shape
Lens arrive in clearly better form, taking seven points from their last six league matches compared with four for Troyes. Lens have won two, drawn one and lost three in that run, while Troyes have won just once, drawn once and lost four. Troyes have lost their last four matches in all competitions, and their most recent league result was a 0-2 home defeat to Marseille. Lens won their most recent league match, beating Lyon 2-1 at home, though they lost their most recent match in any competition to Sporting CP. Troyes have had six days since their last match, while Lens have had four days and played twice in the last 14 days.
The table and the venue records
Lens sit 10th on seven points, while Troyes are 17th on four points, a gap that reflects the visitors' stronger start. At home, Troyes have yet to win, with one draw and two defeats from three matches and a goal difference of minus six. Lens have not won away either, with one draw and two defeats from three away matches and a goal difference of minus two. The home side's record at the Stade de l'Aube is the weaker of the two, but neither team has shown much strength in the venue they will occupy here.
Recent history favours the visitors
Across the last 10 meetings between these clubs, Lens have won six, Troyes two, with two draws. The goal count in those matches is 17 for Lens and nine for Troyes, and the average total goals is 2.6. In the seven meetings at this ground, Lens have won three, Troyes two, with two draws, and the goals are 11 for Lens and nine for Troyes. The most recent meeting was a 2-4 home defeat for Troyes in February 2026, and that match was not in this competition. Troyes have not beaten Lens in their last five meetings.
Lens carry the sharper attack
Lens hold a large attacking edge over Troyes. The visitors score 1.3 goals per away match, which is level with the league average for an away side on the road, while Troyes score 0.7 goals per home match, a large margin worse than the league average for a home side at home across 3 home matches. Across the whole season, Lens average 1.8 goals per match, better than the league average, while Troyes average 0.7, a large margin worse. Troyes have failed to score in four of their last six matches, while Lens have scored in four of their last five away matches.
Lens also hold the defensive edge
Lens hold a large defensive edge over Troyes, though neither side is strong at the back. Troyes concede 2.7 goals per home match, a large margin worse than the league average for a home side at home across 3 home matches. Lens concede 2.0 goals per away match, which is marginally worse than the league average for an away side on the road across 3 away matches. Across the whole season, Troyes concede 2.2 goals per match and Lens 1.7, with Troyes the more vulnerable of the two. Troyes have conceded eight goals in three home matches, while Lens have conceded six in three away matches.
Lens test the goalkeeper more often
Lens produce more shots on target per match than Troyes, averaging 6.17 compared with 3.83 for the home side. Troyes see more of their shots blocked, with 3.5 blocked shots per match against 2.5 for Lens. The visitors also hold more possession, averaging 49.67% compared with 38.83% for Troyes. Lens take more shots off target as well, averaging 2.83 per match against 5.17 for Troyes, though the home side's higher figure there reflects less accuracy rather than more threat.
When the goals tend to arrive
Lens are most dangerous in the 46-60 minute window, scoring 36% of their goals there, which is their unique peak scoring band. Troyes have no unique peak scoring band, with their goals spread across the first 15 minutes, the 16-30 minute window, the 31-45 minute window and the 76-90 minute window, each holding 25% of their goals. Troyes are most vulnerable late, conceding 38% of their goals in the 76-90 minute window, against 25% of the goals they score in that window. Lens are equally vulnerable in the 76-90 and 31-45 minute windows, conceding 30% of their goals in each, against 18% and 27% of the goals they score in those windows respectively.
Two very different goal environments
Lens matches have been far more open than Troyes matches this season. 83% of Lens matches have gone over 2.5 goals, while only 33% of Troyes matches have done the same. Lens away matches are the higher-scoring ones, with 67% of their home matches going over 2.5 goals against 100% of their away matches. Troyes matches are evenly split across the halves, with 33% producing over 1.5 goals in the first half and 33% in the second half. Lens matches are back-loaded, with 17% producing over 1.5 goals before half time and 67% after it.
Lens hold the edge across the board
Lens are the stronger side in attack, defence and recent form, and the market prices them as clear favourites for this match. Troyes are winless in their last four league matches and have struggled to score, failing to score in four of their last six matches. Lens have been more productive going forward and more solid at the back, though neither side has been strong defensively. The visitors' away record is modest, but Troyes' home record is worse, and the head-to-head history also favours Lens. Expect Lens to control the match and create the better chances, with Troyes likely to sit deep and try to frustrate.