Rejuvenated by its offensive festival at the expense of Nîmes, this Wednesday (5-0), Racing arrives launched in artesian soil. Less under pressure in the standings (16th, 17 points), the Blues can therefore approach this match against the amazing promoted (8th, 27 points) with a free spirit in a dense and decisive month of January, since all the other matches – Saint -Etienne, Dijon, Reims – will be against direct opponents for maintenance.
On the Lens side, Kakuta and his family are connected to AC since each victory follows a defeat, and vice versa. If they maintain this course of action, they will therefore beat the Alsatians since they bowed Wednesday in Lyon (3-2) not without having given the leader of the championship a cold sweat. “We will see, but if we manage to take a point, it may already be good,” said Thierry Laurey.
In the elite, it has been twelve years since Racing d’Alsace no longer challenged Racing du Pas-de-Calais in its lair in Bollaert (2-2 on January 26, 2008). But the last visit is much more recent. It was in May 2017, when Thierry Laurey’s team was launched towards Ligue 1 and held the shock in front of more than 38,000 Blood and Gold supporters heated to white (1-1). At the time, Khalid Boutaïb responded to… Kenny Lala, Artesian scorer from the penalty spot.
Three and a half years later, the context will inevitably be less passionate. Since this fall, the stadiums have been empty due to the pandemic and the stands of Bollaert will ring hollow. A chance for Racing from here to return to success, the last one dating from November 1996 (1-2), with Baticle and Zitelli as scorers?
“After a victory, it is difficult to get the boys out of the group, even more so after a 5-0”, explains Thierry Laurey, after having indicated to Aaneba, Lebeau and Saadi that they will not be traveling to Lens.
It is therefore the same group of 20 mobilized for the arrival of Nîmes which set course this Friday afternoon towards the north of France. We also imagine that the coach will be tempted to maintain his confidence in the same eleven holders, who were satisfied with a tennis ball. Only the system could evolve, the return to 4-2-3-1 to block the Lensois corridors being perhaps more suitable than a 4-4-2 diamond.
Lens remains on 9 matches without defeat at home against Strasbourg in Ligue 1 (6 wins, 3 draws). This is his longest home unbeaten streak against the Alsatians in the top flight.
Strasbourg has won 2 of its last 3 trips in Ligue 1 (to Nantes and Angers), after winning only one of the previous 8 (to Brest).
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