Lyon v Lens: all you need to know about the Coupe de France clash

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·5 March 2026

Lyon v Lens: all you need to know about the Coupe de France clash

Lyon and Lens face off this Thursday (05), at 5:10 PM, in a single match for the quarterfinals of the French Cup. The match will be decisive: the winner advances to the semifinals, and if the game ends in a draw during regular time, it will go to extra time and, if necessary, penalties. The referee for the match will be Benoît Bastien.

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Team Comparison

The match brings together two teams that have been showing good numbers in the 2025/26 Ligue 1. In 24 matches in the league, Lyon—currently in third place—has scored 39 goals and conceded 26, with an average of 1.6 goals per game. The runner-up, Lens, has an even more productive attack, with 45 goals, as well as a stronger defense: 21 conceded, which is 0.9 per match. This difference helps explain why the visiting team shows more offensive volume in statistics like shots on target per game (5.1 versus 4.7) and big chances created (3.8 versus 2.9).

While Lens stands out for its intensity and ability to create opportunities, Lyon relies on control and organization with the ball. The team has higher average possession (54.5% versus 49.0%) and also leads in accurate passes per match (401.6, with an 85.7% success rate, versus 379.0 and 84.5% for their opponent). Defensively, Lyon has 12 clean sheets in Ligue 1, compared to nine for Lens—an indicator of consistency, even though they concede slightly more per game.

The recent form also suggests balance. Lens comes in with a streak of three wins in their last five matches, along with a draw and a loss. Led by striker Endrick, Lyon has also won three in this period, but is coming off two defeats in their most recent games, which adds pressure to the match-up.