At most two months have passed and yet this meeting remains in memory. For the return of the Champions League to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on October 3, after twenty-one years of absence, the Racing Club de Lens (RC Lens) wrote one of the most beautiful pages in its European history. Led by a 20-year-old boy, Elye Wahi, the club defeated Arsenal and won (2-1) in their boiling den. This victory allowed them to take sole lead in Group B.
When they meet the Londoners again, on Wednesday, November 29, at 9 p. m. , in the second stage of the organization phase of the prestigious European competition, the Artesians find themselves in a less comfortable monetary situation. Having picked up just one point from the double-header against PSV Eindhoven, they are now in third place, on the verge of trouble with the Dutch (5 problems). The Gunners, on the other hand, have recovered perfectly and are in the most sensible place with nine problems. thanks to their two wins against Sevilla – last place in the table (2 points).
Wednesday’s game is for the players of Franck Haise, Lens coach. If they win at the Emirates Stadium, they will be masters of their destiny to try to advance to the round of 16 of the “Big Ears Cup”. will receive the Spanish. On the other hand, a defeat, combined with a PSV victory in Andalusia, would destroy any chance of continuing in the spring festival.
In short, all things will be smart against Arsenal, with this 3rd position synonymous with qualification for the Europa League, the lowest continental level, which RC Lens would welcome as a great comfort prize. “On the pitch, Los Players shouldn’t calculate, for my part it’s a little different,” Franck Haise said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The 52-year-old coach is fully aware of this: he will face a formidable team in front of 60,000 spectators, adding up to 3,000 “blood and gold” fans. “We know that the opponent is more powerful than us,” he admits flatly. However, there is no hesitation in admitting defeat: “We will have to improve our point in all facets of the game, but we arrive with the ambition to be at least at the level of Arsenal. »
Stung by their pride, the Gunners, who just took the lead in the Premier League last weekend, will be ready to take revenge after the defeat in Pas-de-Calais. A win or a draw against Lens would allow them to qualify for the knockout round. Champions League stages, for the first time since the 2016-2017 season.
There are still plenty of reasons to get another Blood and Gold win. Franck Haise will be able to rely on the tactics he used in the first leg, which led his players to the feat. He asked them to press high up the pitch, a formula of play that absolutely surprised Mikel Arteta’s side.
It doesn’t matter if the detail of wonder no longer works, Lens will be able to remind us that they had managed to shake up the London team two months earlier. “It’s a game that we haven’t played in full. “I don’t have it all down [Wednesday night] and that’s how it looks at the end, I’m interested,” the coach told reporters.
Another explanation for hope: the Artesians have not lost any of their three games against the Gunners in the Champions League (two wins and one draw). The victory of Daniel Leclercq’s men, twenty-five years ago, thanks to a goal by Michaël Debève (1-0) at Wembley, is the one that has left the greatest impression on the fans.
As in 1998, RC Lens will not start as favourites against the North London side. In any case, the club has regained its colors in the league. After a poor start to the season, Florian Sotoca’s teammates rediscovered their defensive solidity and climbed back up to sixth place in the standings thanks to an eight-game unbeaten run. Goalkeeper Brice Samba has not conceded a goal in Ligue 1 in five games.
Against Arsenal, Franck Haise will also be able to count on an almost full squad. Only striker Morgan Guilavogui, who was sent off in the last European match in the Netherlands, is missing. Kevin Danso, who was absent in the last match, the Clermont defender (3-0), is “in a condition” to return to his position in the Lens rearguard. The only problem is that Facundo Medina, Florian Sotoca and Salis Abdul Samed are suspended after their yellow cards in Eindhoven. If one of those 3 undisputed starters is suspended again, he will miss the last game against Sevilla, in two weeks’ time. An adjustment that, once back, will be very important for the rest of Lens’ continental epic.