This Sunday, September 14, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) will face Lens (5th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off at 5:15 PM, CET) during matchday 4 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. And as before every match, here is a preview of the Parisians’ opponent.
Lens’s current situation –
After a period of excitement, Lens is experiencing a less promising phase. They won’t be playing in Europe this season, after finishing 8th in Ligue 1 during the 2024-2025 season. It’s worth noting that there were changes during the summer of 2024: coach Franck Haise left for a new challenge at Nice, while Will Still signed from Reims.
Lens continued with another change, as the Belgian coach also left, this time for Southampton and the English Championship. Pierre Sage, who gained recognition at Lyon, took over, hoping to bring back attractive football, stability, and a return to European competition. Following a very active transfer window, the start of the season has been promising, with 6 points from 3 matches.
The 2025 summer transfer window –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals:
Key statistics –
This season, Lens has one of the 5th best attacks in Ligue 1 with 5 goals scored (Lille, in first place, has 11, and Nantes, in last place, has 1), and one of the 3rd best defenses with 3 goals conceded (Lyon has the best defense with 0 goals conceded, while Paris FC, Lorient, and Brest, in last place, have conceded 8).
Lens’ top scorer is Morgan Guilavogui (a 27-year-old striker), with 1 goal, placing him 34th in the league (João Neves leads Ligue 1 with 3 goals). Saud Abdulhamid (26-year-old right-back) is Lens’ top assist provider, with 1 assist, and is 9th in Ligue 1 (Felix Correia is first with 2 assists).
Lens’ last 5 matches –
Only Lens’ possession statistics are shown, and Lens’ shots are listed first (when data is available).
02/08/2025 (Friendly) – Lens/AS Roma: 0-2. 3-5-2 formation. 57% possession. 11 shots (1 on target) vs. 8 shots (3 on target)
09/08/2025 (Friendly) – Lens/RB Leipzig: 2-1. 3-4-2-1 formation.
16/08/2025 (Ligue 1) – Lens/Lyon: 0-1. 3-4-2-1 formation. 56% possession. 18 shots (5 on target) vs. 11 shots (3 on target)
24/08/2025 (Ligue 1) – Le Havre/Lens: 1-2. 3-4-2-1 formation. 56% possession. 6 shots (3 on target) vs. 18 shots (6 on target)
29/08/2025 (Ligue 1) – Lens/Brest: 3-1. 3-4-2-1 formation. 68% possession. 30 shots (10 on target) vs. 9 shots (2 on target)
Probable starting lineup (3-4-2-1):
Fofana
Saïd – Thauvin
Udol – Thomasson – Sangaré – Aguilar
Baidoo – Sarr – Gradit
Risser
Lens’ style of play.
It’s become something of a tradition over the past few years: Lens has a very attacking style of play, often using a three-man defense. Their strategy is to press the opposition, ideally to exploit weaknesses and score quickly, but if that’s not possible, to maintain control and tire out the opponent. It’s an energetic style that’s difficult to counter, but it can also leave some vulnerabilities and create opportunities for the other team.
PSG has been warned: they will need to be right on their game from the start after the winter break and mustn’t let their minds wander (with the Champions League match against Atalanta on Wednesday and the away game in Marseille on Sunday). The Lens players will likely try to unsettle them, at least in the early stages of the match. A defensive adjustment, possibly as PSG gains possession, should be considered. In that case, they must be wary of quick counter-attacks.
