🏏 Wed, 13 May 2026 21:00 CEST
RC Lens
vs
Paris Saint Germain
3-4-2-1 vs 4-3-3
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- A direct title showdown as current 2nd-placed Lens (67 points) host league leaders PSG (70 points). With the gap to PSG down to three points, Lens are eyeing a dramatic late-season turnaround in the remaining rounds. In the Matchday 4 meeting, PSG won 2-0 in Paris, so Lens are aiming for revenge at home and a first win over them this season.
- The two front lines contrast sharply. Lens line up in a 3-4-2-1 with Odsonne Edouard (187cm, formerly of Celtic) as the lone striker, and Wesley Said (Comoros roots, a Rennes academy product) and Abdallah Sima (188cm, Senegal international) as the two shadow strikers. PSG, meanwhile, field a powerful 4-3-3 front three of Kvaratskhelia (Georgia international, signed from Napoli), Dembele (two-footed, thriving as a centre-forward) and Barcola (Mbappe's heir apparent).
- Lens's midfield pivot is the pairing of Adrien Thomasson (156 games and 28 goals at Strasbourg) and Mamadou Sangare (left-footed CDM, Mali international). PSG counter with a wealth of young talent: Dro Fernandez (18, signed from Barcelona in January 2026), Joao Neves (a 19-year-old Portugal international signed from Benfica) and Desire Doue (also a right winger, a Rennes academy product).
- In defence, Lens deploy the 21-year-old Robin Risser (192cm, France U-21) in goal, with a back three of Malang Sarr (formerly of Chelsea and Nice), Samson Baidoo (190cm, an Austria international raised at Salzburg) and Ismael Ganiou (Burkina Faso international). PSG have the 192cm Matvey Safonov (Russia international, renowned for penalty stops) as their last line, with a back four of Lucas Hernandez (a 2018 World Cup winner), Lucas Beraldo (left-footed CB, signed from Sao Paulo), Illia Zabarnyi (189cm, Ukraine international) and Senny Mayulu (who scored in the Champions League final at 19).
- Lens have a glittering set of attacking options on the bench in Allan Saint-Maximin (formerly of Newcastle, his right-footed cut-ins a weapon) and Florian Thauvin (a 2018 World Cup winner, 281 games and 86 goals for Marseille). PSG also keep Vitinha (Portugal international, the heartbeat of the midfield), Fabian Ruiz (Spain international, 189cm) and Goncalo Ramos (a 2022 World Cup hat-trick scorer) in reserve, so the late-game tactical calls will be key.
- Lens have shown a degree of consistency with L-W-D-D-W in their last five, in particular winning back-to-back home games against Toulouse (3-2) and Nantes (1-0). PSG, by contrast, have been up and down with W-L-W-D-W in their last five, suffering a 1-2 home defeat to Lyon on Matchday 30. That said, they won 1-0 against Brest most recently, so a solid display away from home can be expected.
- Facing former clubs are Lens's Malang Sarr (previously at Nice) and Allan Saint-Maximin (previously at Nice), though neither has a direct former-club link with today's opponents PSG. Even so, both sides field many players with France caps, promising a high-level contest between internationally seasoned players.