Lens vs Monaco prediction 21.02.2026 | Ligue 1

Few expected Lens to lead the table at this stage. After seventh and eighth place finishes in the last two seasons, this feels like a leap. Pierre Sage’s side have earned it, though. Four straight wins, and in three of those they scored at least three goals. The 5-0 thrashing of Paris last weekend turned heads.

At home, the numbers are even stronger. Eleven consecutive wins across all competitions at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. That is not luck.

Ruben Aguilar returns from suspension. Injuries keep Przemyslaw Frankowski, Glen Kamara, Jérémy Jacquet and Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal sidelined. Wesley Saïd’s brace last week brought him to ten for the season, and he should link up with Florian Thauvin and Odsonne Édouard, who have combined for fourteen.

Monaco’s trajectory has dipped. Second and third place finishes in the past two campaigns hinted at stability. Now the Red and Whites are eighth, with one win in the last four matches. To be fair, only two of those were defeats, and the loss to PSG came by a single goal despite playing much of the second half with ten men.

Away form is the deeper concern. Monaco have not won any of the last five league games on the road and failed to score in the last four. That kind of drought can erode belief.

Aleksandr Golovin is suspended after his red card against Nantes, a significant absence given his six goal contributions. Paul Pogba, Eric Dier and Kassoum Ouattara are out with calf injuries. Takumi Minamino, Mohammed Salisu and Christian Mawissa also remain unavailable.