On the 24th matchday of the French championship, Strasbourg will host Lens at home. Both teams are pursuing important tournament objectives. The Blood and Gold continue their sensational title chase. Up to the previous round they led, but they stumbled and now trail PSG by two points. The chasing contenders regularly drop points, so there isn't a major threat. Lyon, in third place, trail Lens by seven points. Strasbourg, meanwhile, occupy seventh place, located in a tight cluster. They are level on points with Monaco, two more than Lorient, and three more than Toulouse. At the same time the gap to Rennes and Lille is only three points. So the battle for a place in European competitions is in full swing. In the previous round Lens lost to Monaco (2:3), but before that they had a run of four straight wins. They crushed Paris (5:0), dealt with Rennes (3:1), knocked out Troyes (4:2) in the Coupe de France and beat Le Havre (1:0). Strasbourg, in the last round, defeated Lyon (3:1), who had been gaining momentum; earlier they drew with Marseille (2:2) and lost to Le Havre (1:2). Strasbourg lacks consistency, but the potential of this team is enormous. Especially in clashes with strong opponents. In the first half of the season Lens beat Strasbourg 1-0. Last season Strasbourg beat the Blood and Gold away (2:0), and at home shared the points (2:2). More often in recent years Lens has won this fixture. They are the favorites now as well. But Strasbourg will mount fierce resistance.