The China Mail - From French title challengers to also-rans, Lens lose their way

The team from France's far north with one of the country's most passionate supports finished just one point behind PSG in 2023, taking the title race down to the penultimate weekend.

It was an extraordinary achievement for Lens given the difference between the budgets of the clubs, and building on that was always going to be a huge ask.

They subsequently lost star midfielder Seko Fofana, who went to Saudi Arabia, and top scorer Lois Openda to RB Leipzig, and last season they finished seventh while also going out of the Champions League in the group stage.

The exodus has not stopped since then, with inspirational coach Franck Haise departing last summer to join Nice and striker Elye Wahi -- Openda's replacement -- being sold to Marseille.

Promising Anglo-Belgian coach Will Still was appointed to succeed Haise and Lens again sit seventh halfway through this season, in the mix for European qualification despite the unavoidable feeling that they are in steady decline.

Goalkeeper and captain Brice Samba jumped ship at the start of this month, preferring to join struggling Rennes, whose new president Arnaud Pouille also left Lens last June.

In addition, highly-rated Uzbek centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov is expected to leave in the January window, with Manchester City among his many suitors.

These moves, and the inevitable weakening of the squad despite the money generated, pose questions about the direction in which Lens are heading under their president Joseph Oughourlian, the Paris-born financier.

A move to sign Spanish goalkeeper Pau Lopez on loan from Marseille as a replacement for Samba also embarrassingly collapsed after the player had already posed in his new colours, but Still is trying to keep his team as competitive as possible.

"I knew when I came to Lens that with all their financial needs, all was not going to be rosy and magic," he said.

"We knew there would be difficult moments. We didn't necessarily expect Brice to leave now, and maybe not Kodir (Khusanov), but I knew there would be departures."

He also admitted recently that "the only thing I can control is tomorrow morning's training session", and he has had a full week to prepare his team to take on PSG, who edged out Lens on penalties in the French Cup last month.

"We will have chances to hurt them at certain moments," Still said on Thursday.

"I expect Paris Saint-Germain to be at their best, with the attacking armada that they have as well as their little weaknesses which we will try to punish."

Player to watch: Ousmane Dembele

The winger missed PSG's French Cup game in midweek with illness but will hope to return in time for Saturday's match before focusing on the crunch Champions League clash with Manchester City.

Dembele, 27, has never been an accomplished finisher but is doing his best to step into the enormous breach left by Kylian Mbappe and is PSG's joint-top scorer this season with 11 goals.

He has really found form in the last month, however, scoring six times in his last five appearances either side of France's short winter break.

Key stats

32 - PSG are unbeaten in their last 32 away matches in Ligue 1, with 24 wins and eight draws

11 - Bradley Barcola got his 11th goal this season in all competitions for PSG in the French Cup in midweek, finding the net for the first time in 11 games

250 - Lille coach Bruno Genesio, who takes his side to Liverpool in the Champions League next week, will take charge of his 250th match in Ligue 1 on Friday

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Montpellier v Monaco (1800), Lille v Nice (2005)

Saturday

Lens v Paris Saint-Germain (1600), Rennes v Brest (1800), Lyon v Toulouse (2005)

Sunday

Saint-Etienne v Nantes (1400), Reims v Le Havre, Angers v Auxerre (both 1615), Marseille v Strasbourg (1945)

W.Tam--ThChM