A top-of-the-table Ligue 1 clash pits the champions against the unexpected challengers on New Year's Day, as Lens welcome Paris Saint-Germain to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Franck Haise's side were held to a goalless draw by Nice in their first game back since the World Cup, while Les Parisiens left it very late indeed to defeat Strasbourg 2-1.
Match preview
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A clinical touch was not on the agenda for either side when Nice did battle with Lens on Thursday night, as the two sides shook hands on a share of the spoils following a drab 0-0 draw, with Haise's men failing to make their dominant periods of possession count.
Failure to find the back of the net against Les Aiglons ended Lens' astonishing five-game winning run in Ligue 1, but Haise and his effervescent crop continue to make waves at this level of football and are PSG's biggest threat to the title as things stand.
Les Sang et Or - who were enduring life in the doldrums of Ligue 2 as recently as 2019-20 - are sitting pretty in second place with a total of 37 points from 16 games, seven adrift of the runaway champions and four clear of Marseille in third place.
While Lens have sometimes flattered to deceive on the road this term, their record at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis is the dictionary definition of perfection, as the hosts have won all eight of their Ligue 1 home games so far this season - not even PSG can boast such a hot streak of form.
Haise's side are unsurprisingly the top-performing team on their own turf in Ligue 1 this term - besting the likes of Rennes and Lyon already - and conceding just one goal in their last five top-flight games on home soil will certainly lead to a shred of apprehension from the visiting party.
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Wasting no time in returning to base after experiencing his first taste of World Cup heartbreak, Kylian Mbappe proved that he did not leave his penalty-spot prowess in Qatar, as the Golden Boot winner held his nerve from 12 yards right at the death to seal a narrow win versus Strasbourg.
Coincidentally, the man whose missed penalty knocked Brazil out of the World Cup was involved in both of the opening goals at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, as Marquinhos headed in from Neymar's free kick before an Adrien Thomasson cross cannoned off the centre-back into the back of the net for Strasbourg's equaliser.
Neymar would then go from hero to zero - receiving a second yellow card for diving - but Mbappe drew a foul in the penalty area in the sixth minute of second-half injury time and did what he does best from the 12-yard mark to seal a last-gasp triumph.
A sixth successive win in Ligue 1 ensured that PSG would maintain their healthy seven-point lead at the top of the rankings entering 2023, and for all of Lens' sensational performances on home soil this term, Christophe Galtier's men have dropped a mere two points on the road all season long.
As well as dropping two points away from home, PSG have also conceded just two goals in their eight Ligue 1 games on rival turf this season, but they were held to a pair of draws by perpetual surprise package Lens in the 2021-22 campaign and will take nothing for granted versus Haise and his overachieving charges.
Team News
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Lens manager Haise saw his team come through their draw with Nice unscathed, leaving the hosts with a quartet of confirmed absentees for this showdown, including ACL victims Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez.
Attacking duo David Costa (shoulder) and Adam Buksa (ankle) do not have as long a road to recovery but should also miss out here, which could tempt Haise into fielding another 3-5-2 from the first whistle against PSG's stacked midfield.
Jean Onana can look forward to a start against the champions if that is the case, although Lois Openda replaced the Cameroon international before the hour mark on Thursday and could now come in for Onana or Wesley Said.
Meanwhile, PSG attacker Neymar can potentially enjoy some New Year's Eve celebrations after his sending off against Strasbourg, which rules him out of the trip to Lens through suspension, so a return for Carlos Soler in the number 10 role is surely in order.
Lionel Messi will likely be on the plane back to Paris a few hours before PSG kick off on New Year's Day, and the Argentine misses out again alongside Presnel Kimpembe and Nuno Mendes, although Renato Sanches could potentially return from a bruise in time for Sunday's clash.
The absences of Neymar and Messi, alongside a knee scare for Hugo Ekitike, could see Pablo Sarabia start in the final third, while El Chadaille Bitshiabu was handed an unexpected start at left-back on Wednesday after Juan Bernat reported pain in his thigh.
The 17-year-old earned plenty of praise for his mature performance, but Galtier could start Nordi Mukiele on the left for for this contest, as Achraf Hakimi returns on the right.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Samba; Medina, Danso, Gradit; Frankowski, Abdul Samed, Fofana, Onana, Machado; Sotoca, Openda
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Mukiele; Vitinha, Verratti, Ruiz; Soler; Mbappe, Sarabia
We say: Lens 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain
No Neymar? No Messi? No fun for PSG. While Mbappe is always capable of conjuring up some game-changing moments for the champions, even his powers are somewhat limited when the famed trifecta is broken up.
Lens have swept aside every foe that has visited their fortress this term, and while victory over the defensively-sound Parisiens may still be a step too far, we have faith in Haise's side to hold the champions to a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
