ARSENAL will be looking to make it two wins from two in Champions League Group B when they lock horns with Lens at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Tuesday night.
The Gunners marked their return to Europe's premier club competition following a six-year absence with a 4-0 thumping of PSV a fortnight ago.
That opening night victory coupled with results elsewhere means Mikel Arteta's men are setting the early pace in a section that they were fully expected to win from the offset.
Arsenal will arrive in northern France feeling good about themselves after brushing aside Bournemouth 4-0 with a 4-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Lens kicked-off their first Champions League campaign in over two decades with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Sevilla on matchday one.
After finishing in second place in Ligue 1 last term, Franck Haise's side have failed to reach the same heights this season so far, though they did secure a much-needed three points with a battling 1-0 win at Strasbourg on Friday night.
Outright Betting
Lens have avoided defeat in each of their previous three Champions League home games, however the bookmakers' odds suggest that trend will come to an end on Tuesday night, with the hosts 9/2 (William Hill) outsiders while the draw is an unfancied 10/3 (William Hill).
Arsenal are odds-on 4/7 (Bet 365) favourites to earn what would be a third win away from home in the space of six days.
Betting Angles
Arsenal are a tad too skinny to side with at the above-mentioned price but coupling up an away win alongside Under 4.5 Goals will bring about an eye-catching even-money play with Ladbrokes.
While Lens have made a pretty underwhelming start to the season, the bedrock to their success in recent years has been built on a solid defence and a strong home record.
In fact, Franck Haise's hosts have tasted defeat just three times at their Stade Bollaert-Delelis base since March 2022, a venue widely regarded as having one as one of the best atmospheres in Europe
Although there is plenty of reason to believe Lens can keep this contest competitive, they have lost four of their opening seven league games of the season, a sample that includes relatively comprehensive defeats at the hands of both PSG and Monaco.
That doesn't augur well ahead of a visit from an Arsenal aside who appear to be building a bit of momentum and I suspect the Gunners' superior class should ultimately tell on Tuesday night.
This bet would have delivered profit from each of Arsenal's seven victories in all competitions this season and given that Mikel Arteta will almost certainly have one eye on Sunday's showdown with Manchester City, I'm more than happy to support the same formula in France at evens (Ladbrokes).
Given that he has firmly established himself as Arsenal's talisman, I'll also take Bukayo Saka to either Score or Assist at 11/10 with William Hill.
There are question marks over Saka's fitness ahead of this game but if he starts then he looks worthy of interest to either notch or assist given that he has already had eight direct goal involvements in as many games this season.
This UEFA Champions League match between Lens and Arsenal will be played on Oct 3, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Lens vs Arsenal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
