Coupe de France Final Tips: Lens vs Nice
Lens have had an excellent season and can crown it by beating Nice in Friday's Coupe de France final.
The Blood and Gold pushed Paris Saint-Germain hard in the Ligue 1 title race and rounded off their campaign with a 4-0 win at head coach Pierre Sage's former club Lyon.
They have never won this tournament, losing the finals in 1948, 1975 and 1998 but accrued 38 more league points than Nice, who have other things to think about.
Les Aiglons, Coupe winners in 1952, 1954, 1997 and beaten finalists in 1978 and 2022, go into this game at the Stade de France knowing that they still have a two-legged play-off against Saint-Etienne to come to decide whether they stay in Ligue 1.
With their fans unhappy at an ownership group that has openly admitted to having other priorities, they are a real crisis club.
Nice started the season in the Champions League qualifiers but could end it in Ligue 2.
The fact that Reims lost last year's Coupe final before being relegated by Metz in a play-off will not be lost on those involved and it will be interesting to see how they approach Friday night.
Everything looks good for Lens
Tip 1 – Lens to win and both teams to score @ 21/20
Sage and his Lens side have enjoyed a brilliant season and deserve to crown it with a trophy.
They beat Nice 2-0 at home in December, before drawing 1-1 earlier this month at the Allianz Riviera, although Les Aiglons only equalised in the 84th minute after Saud Abdulhamid had been sent off.
That was the middle game in three Nice fixtures in a row that both teams scored and was the fifth on the spin for Lens.
However, Sunday's impressive win at Lyon was the third fixture on the bounce where one of the sides had kept a clean sheet (W2, L1), but Coupe de France finals tend to be entertaining, with over 2.5 goals scored in the last three editions following Nice's 1-0 loss to Nantes in 2022.
The relegation pressure on Claude Puel's underdogs may be a benefit, as it allows them to play with freedom.
That could lead to an open match, but Lens are the favourites for a reason.
Edouard can be a cup hero
Tip 2 – Odsonne Edouard to score @ 13/10
Odsonne Edouard won the Scottish Cup twice while at Celtic but has struggled to repeat those levels since leaving Parkhead in 2021, netting 21 times in 105 Crystal Palace appearances, and failing to find the net in six matches on loan at Leicester.
The 28-year-old started the season at Palace but switched to Lens last September and is one of several players to have got their careers back on track.
Allan Saint-Maximin, Florian Thauvin, Arthur Masuaku and Malang Sarr are also on the roster at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Edouard is Lens' joint top scorer with 12 goals and faces an interesting few weeks, with it still unclear whether he will represent Haiti at this summer's World Cup.
The former France under-21 star has only featured once in this season's Coupe, but is expected to start in Saint-Denis and knows how to undo the Nice defence, having netted twice against them in December.
Big personality Wahi won't hold back
Tip 3 – Elye Wahi - Over 1.5 Shots on Target @ 5/2
Opposite number Elye Wahi hasn't had the impact expected since joining Nice on loan after failing to score in the Bundesliga following last summer's move to Eintracht Frankfurt.
After coming through at Montpellier, the 23-year-old had a year at Lens before joining Marseille in 2024 and moving about so much may have impacted his season.
Wahi will always back himself, though, and leads Ligue 1 with a 65.2 per cent rate of firing shots on target.
With his future unwritten, the striker may still be in the shop window, so look for him to land two or more shots on target.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
