Manchester United vs Lens

Out-of-form Manchester United will be looking to get back on track when they encounter high-flying Lens at Old Trafford.

Manchester United’s early pre-season following an all-important top-four Premier League finish in 2022/23 was nothing short of impressive, with Erik ten Hag’s lads winning their opening two summer friendlies over Lyon and Arsenal ‘to nil.’ But the ‘Red Devils’ have since lost their touch, losing three exhibition contests in a row, including a goal-glutted 3-2 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund last time out. Despite splashing out a small fortune to acquire top-class goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan, United’s defensive woes are not over by any stretch of the imagination, knowing they’ve conceded multiple goals in their last three outings. Particularly vulnerable before halftime, they capitulated twice in the first half in two of those three fixtures.

In the meantime, visiting Lens have fallen victim to their outstanding success last season as they finished runners-up to PSG in an enthralling Ligue 1 title race. Standout performer Lois Openda and captain Seko Fofana have left the club this summer, perhaps contributing to Lens’ less impressive run of back-to-back friendly draws against Wolfsburg and Torino. Both stalemates featured a goalless halftime score in matches garnering under 2.5 total goals, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring affair. However, highly-rated manager Franck Haise won’t be bothered by aesthetics if his men extend an eye-catching 13-game unbeaten streak (W9, D4), stretching back to a 3-1 defeat away to PSG in mid-April.