Fresh from Aston Villa’s historic UEFA Europa League triumph in Istanbul, attention now turns to France where Lens and Nice prepare to battle for Coupe de France glory at the Stade de France on Friday night.
Lens are chasing the first Coupe de France title in their history after an impressive run to the final under manager Pierre Sage. Les Sang et Or secured their place in the showpiece with a commanding 4-1 victory over Toulouse in the semi-finals and now stand one win away from ending a long wait for major silverware.
Sage has already guided the club to a second-place Ligue 1 finish this season, their best league performance since 2022-23, and victory on Friday would mark Lens’s first trophy since lifting the Ligue 2 title in 2008-09.
The northern French side have been one of the competition’s most entertaining teams, scoring 16 goals across their four Coupe de France matches while conceding six. However, their record in finals remains mixed, having lost two of their previous three appearances at this stage by a single-goal margin.
Nice, meanwhile, have enjoyed an impressive cup campaign despite enduring a difficult Ligue 1 season. Claude Puel’s side eliminated three top-flight clubs on their way to the final and arrive after defeating Strasbourg 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Le Gym are preparing for a relegation playoff against Saint-Etienne, but the Coupe de France has provided rare positivity in an otherwise challenging campaign. Nice have been defensively solid throughout the tournament, keeping consecutive clean sheets and conceding more than once in only one cup match this season.
Away from the final, French football also celebrated another major individual achievement this week as Désiré Doué was crowned Ligue 1 Best Young Player of the Season for the second consecutive campaign, further highlighting the growing quality of young talent emerging in France.
Historically, Nice have enjoyed the upper hand in recent meetings with Lens and remain unbeaten in seven of their last eight encounters across all competitions.
However, Lens have taken to their official X handle to share training photos in preparation for the anticipated match.
Team News
Lens could once again be without Regis Gurtner and Samson Baidoo due to hamstring injuries, while Jonathan Gradit remains doubtful with a lower leg issue.
Florian Thauvin, Allan Saint-Maximin, Matthieu Udol and Adrien Thomasson all scored in the semi-final victory over Toulouse and are expected to keep their places in the starting lineup.
Nice are monitoring Moise Bombito, who is struggling with a lower leg problem, while Mohamed Abdelmonem and Youssouf Ndayishimiye remain doubtful with muscle injuries. Everton Pereira is also being assessed after suffering an ankle issue.
Elye Wahi starred in the semi-final triumph over Strasbourg with a second-half brace and is expected to lead the line again in Friday’s final.
Possible Lineups
Lens possible starting lineup:
Risser; Ganiou, Celik, Sarr; Aguilar, Thomasson, Bulatovic, Udol; Thauvin, Saint-Maximin; Edouard
Nice possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Mendy, Bah, Oppong; Clauss, Vanhoutte, Boudaoui, Sanson; Cho, Diop; Wahi
How to Watch
| Channel | Region | Kickoff Time |
|---|---|---|
| TNT Sports | United Kingdom | 20:00 BST |
| League 1+ | Nigeria Africa | 20:00 WAT |
| beIN SPORTS | USA | 15:00 ET |
Match Prediction
Softfootball predicts Lens 2-1 Nice
Both teams have impressed in the Coupe de France this season, but Lens appear to possess greater attacking momentum heading into the final.
