Pierre Sage, RC Lens coach, held a press conference Friday evening after the 5-1 victory against Angers in the opening match of Matchday 27 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. He was notably asked for his opinion on the possibility of postponing the match against Paris Saint-Germain scheduled for Saturday, April 11 (Matchday 29), between PSG’s two Champions League quarter-finals against Liverpool (April 8 and 14).
Sage said, “We shouldn’t have to put up with this.”
“We fundamentally disagree. We played a French Cup match (in Lyon), it was scheduled for Thursday, and then we had to play against Metz on Sunday. I understand that having rest allows you to perform better, and they proved that in their match against Chelsea.
Today, they are a very successful club, competing in many competitions.” I must admit that they are also aware of the constraints. “And as far as we’re concerned, there’s only one date left, we don’t have to put up with this,” remarks reported by L’Equipe.
The Lens coach was very clear, and his position is understandable. Lens has no interest in dealing with this postponement, especially since they also have their own objectives and deadlines. The fact that the match is on April 11th is a “complication” for PSG, who also have their own ambitions to contend with.
That’s the frustrating part of these postponement proposals; it’s no surprise to see a tight schedule when you go far in competitions, which is one of the Parisian club’s objectives. It’s up to them to prepare themselves as best they can. The other teams don’t necessarily have to adapt, even though there’s also the prestige of French football in Europe.
This could lead the Professional Football League to accept a postponement if PSG makes the request. But it’s clear that there would be… Anger and a heated controversy. Perhaps that’s best avoided.
