PSG vs Lens

Parc des Princes is the venue as PSG and Lens go head-to-head in a blockbuster Ligue 1 encounter.

After hoisting a record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 crown last term, Paris Saint-Germain’s title defense has been off to a stuttering start. Without their formidable attacking trio ‘Messi-Neymar-Mbappe,’ PSG played out an uneventful 0-0 draw against below-par Lorient on Luis Enrique’s touchline debut before sharing the spoils with Toulouse in last weekend’s 1-1 stalemate on Kylian Mbappe’s return to the fold. Despite his poor managerial start in Paris, Enrique shouldn’t lose hope of guiding ‘Les Parisiens’ to promised heights, knowing they won the title the last time they started a season with back-to-back draws in 2013/14. However, the Spaniard must address a glaring issue first, with PSG only winning twice in their last seven top-flight matches at the Parc des Princes (D1, L4).

Ominously for visiting Lens, one of those two wins was a 3-1 thumping of Franck Heise’s side in mid-April. After losing captain Seko Fofana and star forward Lois Openda in the summer, ‘Les Sang et Or’ would be forgiven for a disappointing two-game winless start to the new Ligue 1 season (D1, L1). However, they were left scratching their heads on both occasions, having dropped first-half leads each time, including a 3-2 day-one loss at Brest, where they boasted an early 2-0 advantage. The upcoming trip to Paris will hardly help Lens get back on track, considering they’re winless in their last seven away league meetings with Paris (D3, L4), conceding multiple goals in each defeat. But if it’s any consolation, they won three consecutive league games on the road toward the end of last season.