Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Stade Bollaert-Delelis will host Tuesday’s Champions League game between Lens and PSV, who meet for the first time in the elite competition. Lens made a slow start to the season, but they have been showing signs of improvement of late, with the team beating Arsenal 2-1 in their second group game. Elye Wahi is back from suspension, while both Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez are sidelined with injuries.
The Dutch outfit, on the other hand, defeated Fortuna Sittard 3-1 at the weekend to keep their 100% record in the new Eredivisie campaign intact, but beating Lens on the road is easier said than done. A close encounter is on the cards in France and we predict that the two teams are going to share the spoils at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. PSV summer signing Noa Lang misses out with injury, as well as Armando Obispo and Mauro Junior.
Highlighted Player (Luuk de Jong):
The 26-year-old Dutch striker Luuk de Jong is considered one of Europe’s deadliest strikers with his incredible return of goals in games he spends playing. Luuk de Jong began his football career at De Graafschap in 2008, but moved on to Twente only a year later.
The tally of 39 goals in 76 league appearances earned him a transfer to Borussia Monchengladbach, but his spell in Germany ended in disappointment. Bundesliga club attempted to revive his career by sending him out on loan to Newcastle United but his stint with the English club yielded even more disappointment and concluded in utter disaster with De Jong playing 12 games without scoring a single goal for the Magpies.
A return to Netherlands and PSV Eindhoven turned out to be a proper hit for the 26-year-old striker who has restored his scoring touch with more than 50 goals for the Boeren after less than 90 games.
Highlighted Team (Lens):
Based in the Pas-De-Calais department, Lens is a French club that plays home games at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The Sang et Or are well known for their red shirts with yellow stripes, while black is the dominant colour of their away jersey.
The club was founded back in 1906 and the Sang et Or originally played in green and black shirts. Speaking of their home ground, Stade Bollaert-Delelis can hold up to 38,058 spectators. The venue was opened back in 1933, and renovated during the 2014/15 season. Lens did well to win the Ligue 1 trophy in the 1997/98 season, with the team finishing the process level on points with second-place Metz.
As a result, the Sang et Or represented France in the Champions League group stages the following season. The club’s biggest European success came in the 1999/00 season when they made it to the UEFA Cup semis. Lens have won two Coupe de la Ligue trophies as well.