The Japan Times - Lens eye top spot in Ligue 1 as they take title fight to PSG

PSG's lead at the top of the table is a single point with nine games remaining, meaning Lens will go top with a win at Lorient on Saturday.

They are aiming to take advantage of the fact that PSG have been given the weekend off, their home fixture against Nantes postponed until April to give Luis Enrique's side a rest in between the two legs of their Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea.

The fact that Lens are even within touching distance of the Qatar-backed club is entirely unexpected, given that their budget is not even a tenth of that of the reigning European champions.

The club from an old coal mining community in the far north of France, around 40 kilometres from the Belgian border, won their only league title in 1998 but finished as runners-up to PSG as recently as 2023.

They fell away in the last two campaigns, finishing seventh and then eighth, not even qualifying for Europe for this season.

Between 2023 and the last close season, Lens sold a host of key players, including Brice Samba, Kevin Danso, Seko Fofana, Lois Openda, Facundo Medina, Neil El Aynaoui, Andy Diouf and Abdukodir Khusanov.

Many have gone to leading European clubs such as Manchester City and Inter Milan, often for big fees, but Lens have not been able to reinvest all that money in new signings.

Nevertheless, their decision to appoint former Lyon boss Pierre Sage as coach has been a masterstroke.

The unassuming Sage has built an outstanding side full of over-performing players, in which the biggest star is French international forward Florian Thauvin.

Lens have the best defensive record in the division and have won 12 and lost two of their 15 Ligue 1 games since the start of November.

They are through to the semi-finals of the French Cup, a trophy they have never won and still have a chance of a dream double.

Last weekend, as PSG lost 3-1 to Monaco, Lens beat bottom club Metz 3-0 to cut the gap.

However, the trip to Brittany to play Lorient promises to be an awkward one, as the promoted club are enjoying a fine season.

Sage has in mind the fact that Lens are due to host PSG on the weekend of April 11 and last week compared the title race to the Tour de France.

"Right now we are still in the Alps with a good few stages and climbs to negotiate," Sage said last week, with Angers up next after Lorient.

On Thursday he said: "Our objective now is to get six more points before the next international break so we can go into the remainder of the season in the best possible shape."

Player to watch: Matthieu Udol

The Lens left-back is not one of the more fashionable names in French football but he has been so impressive this season that he is a strong contender to make the France squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Colombia.

Udol, who turns 30 this month, had spent his whole career at yo-yo club Metz before this season and has had to come back from several serious knee injuries.

However, his performances at Lens as a wing-back in their 3-4-2-1 system have been a major contributor to their success.

Key stats

10 - Lorient are unbeaten in their last 10 home matches in Ligue 1

15 - Marseille's Mason Greenwood is Ligue 1's leading scorer with 15 goals

6 - The number of points separating five teams, from Marseille in third to Monaco in seventh, in the fight for European qualification

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Marseille v Auxerre (1945)

Saturday

Lorient v Lens (1600), Angers v Nice (1800), Monaco v Brest (2005)

Sunday

Strasbourg v Paris FC (1400), Le Havre v Lyon, Metz v Toulouse (both 1615), Rennes v Lille (1945)

H.Takahashi--JT