10 points put Monaco’s unbeaten start under scrutiny against Lens

Monaco’s 10 points from four Ligue 1 games put their unbeaten start under scrutiny today against Lens, who have collected four points. Kickoff is at 18:45 UTC at Stade Louis II, with Monaco also managing seven listed unavailable or questionable players.

What's at stake

Monaco sit second on 10 points, level with leaders Lille, while Lens are 10th and six points behind. A Monaco win would take the hosts to 13 points; a Lens victory would move them to seven and, if Monaco lose, cut the gap between the clubs to three points.

The numbers

Monaco’s recent sequence is three wins followed by a draw, while Lens have recorded one win, two losses and a draw in their last four. The home side have scored six and conceded two across the league season, compared with Lens’s eight goals and seven conceded.

The venue record also favours Monaco on the available sample: they are 1W-0D-0L at home, with two goals scored and none conceded. Lens are 0W-1D-1L away, have scored three and conceded four, and have no away clean sheet.

One to watch

F. Thauvin is Lens’s leading contributor from the listed scorer chart, with three goals and one assist in four appearances. Monaco’s Paris Josua Brunner has also scored three times in four appearances, while Lens’s F. Ivanović has two goals in three, giving both attacks a clearly identified scoring outlet.

Why it matters

Monaco can reach 13 points and keep their position alongside the early leaders, but their squad list includes F. Balogun, M. Coulibaly, A. Fati, S. Idumbo, T. Minamino and J. Teze as unavailable, with A. Soubeir questionable. Lens must navigate five listed absences—S. Abdulhamid, S. Baidoo, J. Chavez, M. Nawrocki and Y. Titraoui—while a result today determines whether their four-point start begins to close the six-point distance to Monaco.