Abdallah Sima will again lead the Lens attack at Strasbourg on Saturday, and the decision says as much about his rise as it does about Lens’ start to the season. The 25-year-old Senegal forward has kept the central role despite competition from Odsonne Edouard and Rayan Fofana, turning what was once a rotation battle into a clear choice for the team’s second Ligue 1 outing.
That is why Strasbourg Vs Lens is drawing attention now. Lens have started well, with a 1-0 win over Paris in the Trophée des champions followed by a 5-2 league opener against Auxerre, and Sima has been part of that momentum. Le Progres reported that he keeps his place in the XI for Ligue 1’s second round, with Edouard absent, and it is a sign that the forward has moved from a useful option to the point around which Lens are building their attack.
Sima’s case is stronger than one good afternoon. Dino Toppmöller has described him as a robust pivot who attacks space and can be a nuisance for opponents, the kind of forward who stretches a defence rather than waiting for one to open itself. That matters against Strasbourg because the opposition now comes with a new coach and many new players, which makes their shape harder to read than a settled side would be. For Lens, a forward who can run, pin and disturb the line is a useful answer to uncertainty.
There is still a catch. Sima has not yet scored this season, even if his recent record explains why Lens trust him. Last spring he scored the goal that sealed the Coupe de France trophy against Nice and finished the run as Lens’ leading scorer with five goals. Last season, under Pierre Sage, he started six Ligue 1 games, so the shift is not that he has suddenly appeared from nowhere, but that he has now pushed through the competition and claimed the central berth when it matters.
Saturday will show whether that trust turns into the kind of return Lens want from him. Strasbourg were beaten 4-0 at Marseille last week, so the setting is there for Sima to stay on the front foot and for Lens to keep building on an early surge. If he keeps the No. 9 role through this match, the next question is no longer whether he can lead the line, but whether he can make it his place for good.
