Champions League: Lens slide leaves PSG unable to mask French struggles

Second in Ligue 1 last season under Pierre Sage, Lens are enduring a very different Champions League campaign. At the halfway point of the league phase, the club sit 33rd, with Lille in 35th. Both northern sides are struggling, while PSG top the standings and can no longer, on their own, hide the disappointing results of France’s other clubs.

Paris Saint-Germain, the two-time defending champions, remain the French standout in the competition. Luis Enrique’s side have won all four of their opening matches and impressed in particular against Manchester City (4-2), Barça (4-2) and Villarreal (6-0). Lille, by contrast, have just one point after four games.

Qualification is not yet mathematically out of reach for Lens or Lille, but their position is considered very difficult. Both clubs will need a string of exceptional results to reach the top 24. Lille and Lens’ upcoming Champions League matches therefore carry particular importance, with Lille’s recent performances offering little reassurance.

The European picture contrasts with Lille’s league campaign: they are second in Ligue 1 with 18 points after nine matches, ahead of Paris in fourth on 17. Lille have five wins, three draws and one defeat in the league, scoring 12 goals and conceding six. Paris have five wins, two draws and two defeats, with 16 goals scored and 10 conceded. Across their last five Ligue 1 matches, Lille have won twice, drawn twice and lost once.

In the first campaign under the new format, in 2024-2025, all four French representatives — PSG, Lille, Monaco and Brest — qualified. This time, Lens and Lille’s results are fuelling concern about French football. Speaking on After Foot, Daniel Riolo criticised the league’s financial difficulties: «I feel like we’ve been talking into thin air for two years, even though we know very well where French football stands economically.»