January 18, 2025. 6 p.m. Lens. Stade Bollaert-Delelis
French Championship. 18th day
Suspension : Danso (Lens)
Injured: Chavez, Satriano, El Ainawi, Laskari, Aguilar, Said-Mbaye, Marquinhos, Dembélé
The 18th day of the French Championship opens with an intriguing clash at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where Lens will host PSG. The hosts are chasing places in European competitions, currently occupying seventh place after the first phase. Meanwhile, the capital side are dominating Ligue 1, having not lost a game this season.
Lens
Lens enjoyed a week off while most of the Ligue 1 teams competed in the Coupe de France. This is due to their previous meeting against PSG at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, which took place at the end of December 2024. In that match, Husain opened the scoring in the 66th minute, but the Parisians quickly equalized and were more precise during penalties. It was the talented Uzbek defender’s last goal in the colors of ‘blood and gold’, as he was transferred to Manchester City in January, adding 40 million euros to Lens’ budget. As a result, Racing now have just one tournament left to play in 2025, having been eliminated from European competitions since August following a Conference League qualifying defeat.
In terms of performance in Ligue 1, Lens managed to get back to winning ways on the previous day after several disappointing matches. Their away win against bottom of the table Le Havre was well deserved but not easy. The opponent opened the scoring in the 8th minute. It was newcomer Koyalyp who equalized the score. The striker, fresh from CSKA Sofia and having only had a few training sessions with his new teammates before the match, proved that this confidence was wise. In addition to his 14 goals in 16 games in the Bulgarian championship, he added a crucial goal in League 1. This striker could help the ‘blood and gold’ improve their offensive situation, as their 21 goals scored constitute one of the worst records among teams at the top of the table. At the end of the match, Machado established the final score – 2:1. The win kept them in touch with the group of teams vying for a place in the Europa League and Champions League. They are only one point from the Europa League zone and three from the Champions League zone.
Revenge against PSG for their cup elimination will be a difficult task, as they have only managed to beat the Parisians twice in the last 22 meetings. However, both victories came recently and at home – 1:0 in 2020 and 3:1 in 2023. Lens also displays a traditionally strong defense, having conceded fewer goals than PSG in this championship. On the other hand, Lens have not played as convincingly at Stade Bollaert-Delelis this season as before; just note that they have won three of their eight matches, including two against teams fighting for survival – Nantes and Montpellier. Since the end of October, they have suffered three defeats against Lille, Marseille, and Toulouse. In the first round, Lens lost to PSG 0:1 away.
-PSG
PSG faced unexpected resistance in the Coupe de France match against a French fifth division team. ‘Espaly’ opened the score, then quickly equalized when the Parisians took the lead – 2:2. The situation could have gone to penalties, but a Barkola goal saved them, with Ramos setting the final score at 4:2. For Bradley, the goal marked his first since November 9, and he commented on his drought: “Sometimes these moments come. In life you can not be happy, and there is more to life than football . I’m going through more difficult times than others; I’m trying to get back to that, to think about football 100% and give everything to get back to that level.” Now, Bradley has 11 goals and 3 assists in 26 games for PSG.
This newfound confidence could prove valuable to PSG next week when the team faces a tough match against Manchester City in the Champions League. After six days, the Parisians have not yet entered the top 24 of the group stage, which means that they risk missing the playoffs for the first time in years, which would be a hard blow for the management of the club, aiming for the prestigious European trophy. It appears that the Parisians’ focus in January will be on qualifying for the playoffs, as they have a significant lead over their competitors in the league. Their closest rival, Marseille, is already seven points behind. For the fourth time in their history, PSG finished the first half of the season undefeated.
PSG demonstrated their superiority on the pitch against Marseille, beating the ‘Olympiques’ away 3:0. The players under Enrique also performed well against Monaco, staging a comeback at the Louis II in late December, then winning against the Monegasques in the Supercup at the start of January. Overall, PSG haven’t lost away in Ligue 1 for almost a year, drawing only three games against Reims, Nice, and Auxerre in this edition. This gives them the second best points total for away games in the French championship this season. In all victorious away matches, Enrique’s men have scored at least three goals.
Lens vs PSG: Predictable Lineups
Chavez, Satriano, El Ainawi, Laskari, Aguilar, and Said are unavailable for Lens, and Danso is suspended. The visitors also have to do without not only Mbaye and Marquinhos but also Dembélé, who has contracted a virus.
Lens vs PSG: Author’s Prediction
The cup match allowed Lens to avoid losing to PSG in normal time, and now we could dare to bet that the hosts will not lose. The Parisians have suffered a heavier load this week due to their cup match, and what’s more, Enrique’s men are currently focused on the next Champions League match.
