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Crystal Palace will take on Lens in a friendly match this summer, as both teams continue their preparations for the new football season.
The match may only be a friendly, but there is an interesting subplot at play, as new Palace boss Pierre Sage left Lens to take the job at Palace earlier in the summer.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Crystal Palace vs Lens key stats
- Crystal Palace have won two of their last three matches in all competitions.
- Lens failed to beat Charleroi last time out.
- The match is being played over one 45-minute period.
Crystal Palace vs Lens preview: An unusual set of circumstances all round
Crystal Palace vs Lens — Tale of the Tape
| Crystal Palace (25/26 Premier League) | vs | Lens (25/26 Ligue 1) |
|---|---|---|
| 15th | Position | 2nd |
| 45 | Points | 70 |
| 41 | Goals For | 66 |
| 51 | Goals Against | 35 |
| 12 | Clean Sheets | 12 |
| N/A | Home / Away Rank | N/A |
The weird world of pre-season tournaments has taken a new turn in Como, with six teams set to compete in a round-robin tournament across two groups, where all matches will only last for 45 minutes.
This means that on the same day as Crystal Palace take on Lens, they will also face Portuguese side Famalicao in the hope of progressing to the final on 1 August, which will be played over a full 90 minutes.
As both of Palace's group matches take place on the same day, we can almost certainly expect two different starting XIs to take the field. Given that Lens are a stronger outfit than Famalicao, we should see the best of the Eagles in this fixture.
New manager Pierre Sage will be keen to get one over his former employers, and has the advantage of knowing their squad inside out.
The situation for Lens is exactly the same – two 45-minute matches in one evening on Tuesday.
They too are expected to field their strongest XI for the match against Palace, which could end up creating a scenario where Famalicao get to face two sets of second-string XIs in Como.
Dino Toppmoller is the man who has been trusted with taking over from Sage at Lens, and he does have big shoes to fill. Sage guided the club to Coupe de France glory and a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, and many fans were gutted when he chose to leave for London.
Toppmoller has started well, though, and is yet to lose a match in charge. The German will be without Nidec Celik in Como, who faces a long road to recovery from a meniscus injury.
Crystal Palace vs Lens form guide & betting tips
| Crystal Palace | vs | Lens |
|---|---|---|
D
L
W
W
L |
Form |
L
W
W
W
D
|
| 9 | Goals For | 13 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 6 |
WL |
Club Friendly | WD |
Whispers predicts: Crystal Palace 1-0 Lens
Crystal Palace have a stronger starting XI than Lens, so if both teams go full strength for this 45-minute clash, the Eagles should come out on top.
Given the circumstances, we should not expect a high-scoring match on Tuesday, which makes under 1.5 goals a good bet.
Eddie Nketiah has already scored two goals in pre-season, making him a good selection for anytime goalscorer.
> Crystal Palace to win | Likelihood: Probable
> Under 1.5 goals | Likelihood: Probable
> Eddie Nketiah to score anytime | Likelihood: Possible