Lens coach Pierre Sage criticized the postponement of his team’s Ligue 1 match against title rivals Paris Saint-Germain.
It is incredibly tight at the top of Ligue 1 before Lens take on local rivals Lille on Saturday.
Lens was then due to face defending champion PSG in a true six-point game on April 11.
However, that match was postponed at the request of PSG, due to their participation in the Champions League, in which they face Liverpool in a two-legged quarter-final.
Lens confirmed his opposition to the decision, and while Sage is frustrated, he is trying not to pay too much attention to the situation.
“I was against it, you can imagine my opinion hasn’t changed,” he said.
“Today is what it is and we are not going to play victims. The date has been changed, but the game is not lost. We still have our opportunities and we are going to make the most of them.
“The game will probably be on May 6 or 13. If we get stuck in our heads until that date, we will need painkillers, we are going to avoid that.
“We need to use this time to gain energy instead of complaining or getting caught up in things that are not like us at all.”
Set #FiersDEtreLensois #LOSCRCL pic.twitter.com/1mBglWmlC2
— Racing Club de Lens (@RCLens) April 3, 2026
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Lille-Romain Perraud
Perraud could play his 100th game in Ligue 1 (20 with Nice, 56 with Brest, 23 with Lille so far).
He has attempted 99 crosses in the top flight this season, 30 more than any other Lille player, 17 of which have been chances created, also the highest total for his team.
Lens – Mamadou Sangare
Sangare is the only player to have won 150 or more duels (159) and obtained 150 or more possessions (163) in Ligue 1 this season.
The midfielder has been crucial to Lens’ title fight and will look to make another big impact against Lille.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
Lille and Lens will meet for the 122nd time in all competitions, and RCL has only played Monaco more (125).
Lille have beaten Lens 47 times in all competitions (D38 L36), their joint highest number of wins against a single opponent, the same as Rennes.
They have also won nine of their last ten home games against Lens in Ligue 1, scoring 20 goals and conceding only five in this run, with the only exception being a 1-2 loss in April 2022.
If they win, Lille would have 50 points in Ligue 1 this season. In the last 15 campaigns, only one of the 49 teams that reached this figure after 28 games in the top flight failed to qualify for a European competition: Monaco in 2022/23 (54 points, sixth at the end of the season).
Lens, however, has its best goal difference after 27 Ligue 1 games (+30). Racing Club de Lens is also the third team in the 21st century to have scored more than 50 goals (54) and conceded fewer than 25 goals (24) at this point in a top-flight campaign, after Lyon (2007-08, 2014-15) and PSG (10 times, including 2025-26).
Lille have won just one of their last five home games in Ligue 1 (D2 L2), after winning each of the previous four.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Lille – 36.9%
Tie – 27.5%
Lens – 35.6%
