Champions League: The Gunners Aim at Lens

RC Lens vs Arsenal

We are in for another exciting matchup as the undefeated club from north-central London, Arsenal, visit the ramping RC Lens in Estadio Bollaert-Delelis for Matchday 2 of Group B in the Champions League.

It will be an unfamiliar territory for both clubs and fans alike, as they have never faced each other in competitive play before. But even though it will be a new bout for these teams, the result might not be too mysterious, given that Arsenal have been unstoppable this season and Lens have been slow to heat up.

Arsenal have been gunning down every opponent they face, and in bullish fashion. They have yet to lose a match across the Premier League and the Champions League.

Lens on the other hand, have been on a shaky start this season, but they have been ramping it up in Ligue 1 for the past few weeks. We shall soon see if their momentum in France translates well in the Champions League.

Talking Points

Arsenal activate Havertz

To say that Arsenal’s summer signing, Kai Havertz, has been struggling is an understatement. Havertz’s signing from Chelsea cost £65 million, and that price tag doesn’t seem to match or is anywhere close to his production on the field.

The former Chelsea forward has failed to tally a score or an assist in his first nine appearances as a Gunnner. Because of this, he has been facing ridicule from Arsenal fans, and in turn, Kai’s confidence quickly plummeted. It’s evident that he lost his swagger, but luckily for him, his teammates got him covered.

During their match against Bournemouth, the Gunners went to work early and rallied to a 2-0 lead by halftime thanks to an early goal by Bukayo Saka in the 17^th minute and Martin Odegaard scoring a penalty right before halftime.

In the second half, Ryan Christie banged into Martin Odegaard in the box as Bournemouth gave away their second penalty of the game. Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s regular penalty taker, handed the ball to Havertz in an attempt to bolster his confidence and lift his spirits amidst his struggles this season.

The 24-year-old German calmly slotted the perfect ball, sending Bournemouth keeper Neto the wrong way. Kai’s goal gave Arsenal a commanding 3-0 lead as his teammates swarmed him to celebrate. It was a class act on behalf of Bukayo and the rest of the Arsenal players.

“I’m really happy for the win, but even happier to be part of a team that shows the human qualities they did today. Without me telling them anything, to show that empathy to a player that has some question marks to resolve externally, they warmed me even more.” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta stated. “Probably it will change everything,” he added when asked what the goal could do for Havertz.

It certainly could change everything for Havertz. If Arteta and the rest of Arsenal could activate Havertz, there’s no telling what this squad could accomplish. It’s scary to think that they’re this good even without significant contributions from their big-money summer signing.

Lens win two in a row

Lens are having an abysmal start to their campaign in Ligue 1, having failed to record a win in their first five league matches, but it looks like they’re ready to turn things around.

Don’t look now, but the Ligue 1 2022-23 runner-ups have won two in a row. After scoring just one point out of the possible 15 in their first five matches, Franck Haise and his team racked up six quick league points by beating Toulouse and Strasbourg consecutively.

Lens are currently 13^th in Ligue 1, but that doesn’t mean they’re not capable of putting up Champions League 2023 highlights every now and then. They are currently tied with Sevilla in Group B of the Champions League, and a win against Arsenal this Tuesday night will serve as a much-needed cushion to continue their bid to become Europe’s best.

History

This is the first time these clubs will meet each other in a competitive setting. They have only met once, in a club friendly back in 2016. That game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal are having a terrific start to their Premier League campaign this year. They remain unbeaten in seven games, and they are sitting comfortably in the league table at the third spot, only below Tottenham, who also remain unbeaten, and last year’s champions Manchester City, who just came from their first loss of the season courtesy of Wolverhampton.

As for Lens, they are barely hanging on in Ligue 1. They have lost four of their first seven matches, but Franck Haise and the rest of the team are slowly getting their rhythm as they have won their last two league games.

Betting Tip

Many expect Arsenal to calmly come out as the victors in this one. The SBOTOP Champions League 2023 betting odds have Arsenal as the clear favourite priced at 1.58 to win the match, while Lens are at 4.50 as underdogs.

Goals over 2.50 at 1.77 also show value given that Arsenal have been in form, especially offencively, coming off a 4-0 win over helpless Bournemouth during their last Premier League game.

It also helps that Lens’s defence has been struggling this season. They currently bear a -5 goal difference in Ligue 1, and only Clermont Foot and Lyon, the two worst teams in the league, have worse goal differences. Another line to look at is Arsenal First Half 1X2 at 2.20. The Gunners have never trailed by halftime across all competitions in the entire month of September. In most cases, they have already led or even blown the game open before the second half of play begins.

 

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