Lens vs Como Predictions

Lens vs Como Preview: Italian Debutants Target Another Champions League Statement. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.

Como travel to Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Wednesday, 4 November, looking to strengthen their Champions League knockout prospects against a Lens side struggling for consistency.

Three Punchy Stats

• 10 goals: Como's total from three Champions League matches, all scored from open play.
• 16 matches: Lens's ongoing Champions League run without a clean sheet.
• Five consecutive wins: Como's current streak across all competitions, featuring 13 goals scored and just three conceded.

Cesc Fabregas's visitors have taken six points from their opening three European fixtures, including emphatic victories over RB Leipzig and Manchester United. Lens, meanwhile, have collected just three points and sit outside the playoff positions following consecutive continental defeats.

With Como riding a five-match winning streak and Lens attempting to recover from a painful Derby du Nord defeat, momentum favours the Italian newcomers.

Lens Under Pressure After European Setbacks

Lens began their Champions League campaign promisingly, overturning a deficit to beat Slavia Prague 3-2. However, subsequent defeats against Sporting Lisbon and Club Brugge have exposed significant defensive vulnerabilities.

The French side conceded five unanswered goals across those two fixtures, extending an extraordinary sequence of 16 Champions League matches without a clean sheet.

Their domestic performances offer little reassurance. Lens have lost six of their last 11 matches across all competitions, including Friday's 1-0 defeat to Lille, decided by Olivier Giroud's late winner.

That setback left Yannick Cahuzac's side ninth in Ligue 1 and interrupted the progress made following his appointment.

Cahuzac initially oversaw three consecutive league victories after replacing Dino Toppmoller, but maintaining that improvement has proved difficult.

Wednesday's encounter therefore carries considerable significance. Another defeat would leave Lens facing an increasingly demanding route towards the knockout phase, particularly given their defensive record.

Nevertheless, Florian Thauvin provides genuine creative quality. His 15 chances created across the opening three Champions League matchdays represent the competition's highest tally, giving Lens a potential route through Como's defensive structure.

Converting those opportunities will be essential against opponents arriving in outstanding form.

Como's Attacking Quality Driving Historic Campaign

Como have quickly established themselves as one of the Champions League's most entertaining newcomers.

Their opening three fixtures produced 10 goals, the highest tally by a debutant in the competition since 1973. Remarkably, every goal came from open play.

The standout performance arrived against Manchester United, when Fabregas's side secured a remarkable 4-1 victory, with Nico Paz scoring twice.

That result followed an equally convincing 4-1 triumph against RB Leipzig, demonstrating Como's ability to punish established European opposition.

Their only Champions League defeat came at Feyenoord, where they lost 3-2 despite winning the expected-goals battle 1.28 to 0.59.

Since that setback, Como have won five consecutive matches across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and conceding just three.

Domestic results reinforce their credentials. Victories away to Fiorentina and Torino have demonstrated their effectiveness beyond Stadio Sinigaglia, while Sunday's 1-0 success against Venezia lifted them to fourth in Serie A.

With 23 points from 10 league matches, Como have also established a new club record.

Team News and Key Tactical Battles

Lens face several selection problems, particularly in defence and attack.

Ismaelo Ganiou and Maik Nawrocki are unavailable, while Abdalllah Sima and Odsonne Edouard are sidelined. Edouard's adductor surgery means Franjo Ivanovic is expected to spearhead the attack.

Jhoanner Chavez also remains doubtful because of a hamstring problem.

Como will be without Moise Kean, Trevoh Chalobah, Jesus Rodriguez and Assane Diao, with Jayden Addai another potential absentee.

However, their principal attacking threats remain available.

Paz has contributed directly to five Champions League goals, while Tasos Douvikas has scored in all three European appearances.

Their combination of creativity and finishing presents a formidable challenge for a Lens defence repeatedly breached in continental competition.

Match Prediction: Lens 1-2 Como

Lens possess enough attacking quality to threaten, particularly through Thauvin's creativity and their home advantage.

However, Como's superior recent form, impressive away performances and consistent European goalscoring give them the stronger platform.

Fabregas's side appear well equipped to exploit Lens's defensive weaknesses and claim another significant Champions League victory.

📊 Market Explainer

Main Tip

Match Result Market

Selection: Como to win. Choose the home win, draw or away win after 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties are excluded from settlement.

Correct Score Tip

Correct Score Market

Selection: Lens vs Como 1-2. Predict the exact score at the end of 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties do not count unless the bookmaker states otherwise.

🎯 Pick 1: Como to win @ 11/10

Como travel to France as the outstanding form side in this fixture, making the away victory a highly logical position. Cesc Fabregas’s visitors arrive on a sequence of five consecutive victories across all competitions, finding the net 13 times and conceding just three. Their transition into European football has been remarkable, collecting six points from their opening three matches while scoring 10 goals entirely from open play. That includes emphatic 4-1 victories against RB Leipzig and Manchester United, proving they can dismantle established European sides.

This away momentum intersects cleanly with a Lens side struggling for defensive coherence. The French club are enduring a 16-match Champions League sequence without a clean sheet, a vulnerability amplified by recent results. Yannick Cahuzac’s men shipped five unanswered goals across their defeats to Sporting Lisbon and Club Brugge. Domestically, their form offers little reassurance, with six defeats from their last 11 matches leaving them ninth in Ligue 1. With Ismaelo Ganiou and Maik Nawrocki unavailable in defence, containing a Como attack driven by Nico Paz—who has contributed directly to five Champions League goals—appears a formidable task.

Lens do command home advantage and possess genuine creative threat through Florian Thauvin, who leads the competition with 15 chances created. However, their struggles to convert opportunities, compounded by Odsonne Edouard’s adductor surgery, leave them ill-equipped to match the visitors’ scoring rate. Como’s superior rhythm and proven ability to score heavily provide a compelling basis for the main selection.

🎯 Tactical Indicators

• Como arrive on a five-match winning streak across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and conceding three.
• The visitors have scored 10 Champions League goals this season, with every goal coming from open play.
• Lens are enduring a 16-match sequence without a Champions League clean sheet, recently conceding five times across two fixtures.

Risk Factor: Florian Thauvin’s 15 chances created offer Lens a key creative threat if Como fail to convert early chances.

⚔️ Pick 2: Lens vs Como 1-2 @ 15/2

A 2-1 away victory aligns neatly with the underlying attacking numbers and defensive frailties present in this matchup. Como’s ability to score multiple goals is heavily supported by their opening three Champions League fixtures, which yielded 10 goals. Tasos Douvikas has found the net in all three European appearances, giving the visitors a reliable focal point. Lens’s defensive record further supports an away brace; the French side have gone 16 continental matches without a clean sheet and recently conceded five goals across two Champions League defeats. Missing key defenders, they remain highly vulnerable to Como’s fluid attacking combinations.

However, the home side retain enough quality to register on the scoresheet, making a clean sheet for the visitors unlikely. Florian Thauvin has created 15 chances across three matchdays, representing the highest creative output in the competition. Even without Odsonne Edouard and Abdalllah Sima, that volume of chance creation through Thauvin should generate at least one breakthrough at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Como showed they can be breached on the road when they conceded twice in their 3-2 defeat at Feyenoord, suggesting their defensive structure still allows opportunities.

While backing any exact scoreline carries inherent fragility, the 1-2 prediction balances the two strongest themes: Como’s superior overall quality and Lens’s creative capacity at home. The Italian debutants have consistently outscored their opponents, but an away shutout remains difficult to justify against a side featuring Thauvin. One extra goal at either end defeats the selection, but the supplied facts point towards a narrow away win.