Le Havre vs Lens: Ligue 1 Prediction (24.08.2025)

On August 24, 2025, at 17:15 CEST, the “Stade Océane” will host the second-round Ligue 1 match between Le Havre and Lens. Bookmakers consider the visitors as the favorites. Let’s take a look at the current form of both teams at the start of the season and give our prediction for the game.

Le Havre

Last season was a survival battle for Le Havre: the team fought to stay in Ligue 1 until the very end and only managed to finish 15th, just one point above the relegation zone. Such an outcome felt more like relief than success. In the new campaign, Didier Digard’s men face the same challenge – to grind out results in every round and cling to their Ligue 1 status at all costs, avoiding a return to Ligue 2.

The preseason turned out to be very problematic – no wins and only one goal scored in five matches. Against this backdrop, Le Havre started their Ligue 1 campaign away to Monaco, last season’s third-placed team. They managed to score but logically lost 1–3.

Lens

For Lens, last season was a step back after several years of steady progress. For the first time in three years, the club missed out on European competitions, finishing only 8th. Over the summer, the club made changes and appointed Pierre Sage, who had previously worked with Lyon, as head coach.

The preseason was quite positive. Lens played a series of friendlies against strong opponents from top leagues and showed a competitive level. Their only loss came against Roma (0–2), while victories over Wolverhampton (3–1) and RB Leipzig (2–1) highlighted the team’s good potential. Lens looked promising in their league opener as well, narrowly losing to Lyon 0–1. Despite the defeat, the “Blood and Gold” were actually the better side in terms of play.

Head-to-head statistics

Since 2023, the teams have met four times. Last season, they exchanged away wins with minimal margins, while a year earlier both encounters ended in draws.

Prediction

For the match between Le Havre and Lens, our prediction favors the visitors. The hosts are still searching for balance and look weak in attack. Therefore, we suggest betting on Lens to win at odds of 1.96.