Lens vs Nice Prediction: Coupe de France final offers Sage chance at glory

We’ve got a tasty-looking Coupe de France final coming our way on Friday night (8pm BST) as Lens face Nice. Pierre Sage’s men are eyeing cup glory after a fantastic league campaign saw them finish second, while Nice only just escaped relegation but will hope to end on a major high. 

Below you can find my Lens vs Nice predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

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Team News

Regis Gurtner and Samson Baidoo are going to miss this one but Lens could be propelled forward by the creativity of former Newcastle United duo Florian Thauvin and Allan Saint-Maximin, although the latter wasn’t in the squad in their last match vs Lyon. 

The both scored vs Toulouse in the semi-final, along with Matthieu Udol and Adrien Thomasson, although after a thumping 4-0 win at Lyon in Gameweek 34, Sage could name a similar XI, with Wesley Said bagging twice in that win. Kyllian Antonio, the teenage centre-back, came off with a knock and could miss the final.

Claude Puel will try to combat this strong Lens team, but he'll likely be without Everton Pereira, Mohamed Abdelmonem and Youssouf Ndayishimiye. Elye Wahi will pose the main threat for his side having scored twice in the semi-final.

Football Odds

Lens vs Nice Odds

Lens are the 1/2 favourites to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 75% in 90 minutes. A draw is 3/1 while a Nice win can be backed at 5/1 in 90. The underdogs are 3/1 to win the cup by any method. 

Over 2.5 goals is 8/11, BTTS is 5/6 and Odsonne Edouard is the 10/3 favourite to score first.

Lens to win with -1 handicap @ 13/10

PSG have won eight of the last 11 Coupe de France finals so it's refreshing to see two new sides contest the final. However, I don’t think this'll be that competitive in truth, as there's a noticeable difference in quality between Lens and Nice. 

Lens pushed PSG all the way in Ligue 1, eventually finishing just six points behind them and there’s no doubt that Sage is an extremely talented manager. Lens beat Nice 2-0 at home and drew 1-1 on the road, but in this final I can see them tamping their mark and putting Puel’s side to the sword. 

Today's Football Fixtures

Florian Thauvin to score or assist a goal @ 5/6

The former Newcastle forward has been a shining light for Lens this term, having joined from Udinese last summer. Now 33, he is seemingly getting better with age and has contributed 11 goals and six assists in 33 Ligue 1 matches this term. 

In this competition he’s been even more effective, with two goals and three assists in as many appearances, so I’m thinking he's going to have a big impact on this final.