The Gunners travel to France on Tuesday, where they will face Lens. The visitors are the favourites for the tie and they will be confident that victory will be theirs.
Lens
After four games in Ligue 1, Lens were firmly sat at the bottom of the table. However, in the last two weeks, their performances have been much better, picking up six points from their last two matches against Toulouse and Strasbourg. Elye Wahi was signed as the Lois Openda replacement and he looks to be settling in finally, scoring the winner at the weekend. He will need to be on top form if Lens are to find any joy against Arsenal.
Last time out in the UCL, Lens travelled to Spain where they drew 1-1 against a Sevilla side with plenty of European experience. The French side conceded within the first ten minutes and it looked like they were going to be taking another defeat. Yet, Angelo Fulgini equalised in the 24th minute which gave the visitors a foothold in the tie. The second half saw Lens apply pressure and if it wasn’t for poor finishing, they would have walked away with three points.
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta’s side have continued where they left off from last season and they are unbeaten in the current campaign after seven games, with five wins to their name. Funnily enough, they have been at their strongest when away from the Emirates, which puts them in a great position for Tuesday. they have won all three of their games on the road, scoring six and conceding zero, the only side to not have their defence breached when playing away in the top flight.
Their dominance in the Premier League carried over into their Champions League opener against PSV. Bukayo Saka opened the scoring eight minutes into his UCL debut and he then assisted Leandro Trossard in the 20th minute. The Gunners went into the break with a 3-0 lead with the victory wrapped up in the first half. Arsenal continued to control the proceedings and their captain, Martin Odegaard, made it four in the 70th minute.
Verdict?
Arsenal have far too much quality for lens and their away record speaks for itself. Arteta should go strong and he will not accept anything less than three points. Lens will be eager to cause an upset but their performances haven’t been convincing.
The final prediction is Lens 0-2 Arsenal.
