RC Lens vs Arsenal is not a game that you would normally see in the UEFA Champions League but the impressive campaigns both teams had in the 2022/23 season has created this matchup.
They are both having different starts to their seasons in their different leagues, however; RC Lens struggling to keep the form that saw them finish one point below league champions Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1 and Arsenal winning in less than elegant fashion showing that they are ready to take on the league anyhow it comes.
In the Champions League, however, both teams are showing that they are not in it to be passengers. Their performances on matchday 1 show clearly that they are looking to qualify out of their group and possibly upset their way to an unprecedented Champions League title.
Arsenal is more likely to pull this off but after the impressive performance of Lens against Sevilla, who are European royalty in themselves, the Gunners will be wary of hubris.
Mikel Arteta has also evolved as a manager in the 2023/24 season. The pain of losing the Premier League title to Manchester City – coincidentally the defending champions of the Champions League – is visible in all his pre-match press conferences. He is a man on a mission and looks ready to take on all of Europe with his very young squad.
He will lead his team to France on matchday 2, where they will stop by at Lens and then at Stade Bollaert-Delelis to try and grab their second three points of the ongoing Champions League season. Franck Haise has no plans to give him a warm welcome, as do the home fans of the French club who will be filling up the 38,223-capacity home stadium of the historical French football club.
RC Lens vs Arsenal is a match that could become a classic thanks to the motivations of both teams at the moment. The Gunners top the group thanks to their 4-0 demolition of PSV Eindhoven and Lens are second in alphabetical order, as they share the same goal difference with Sevilla.
Read on to get more information on the ticketing, team news, possible lineups based on the players available to both managers and a clear prediction of the match’s outcome.
Match Tickets
RC Lens vs Arsenal tickets will go live on the websites of both clubs in a couple of days. The French club are hosting the game at their 38,223-capacity Stade Bollaert-Delelis grounds. The game will be played on 3 October 2023 alongside several matchday 2 fixtures which will be happening at various grounds and will kick off at 8 P.M.
As stated, tickets will go live on the websites of both teams in a couple of days. However, most fans will have to turn to ticket resellers like Seatsnet.com for tickets. This is due to the excitement in both fan camps for the once-in-a-lifetime match.
RC Lens last played in Europe under the old format over 32 years ago and Arsenal have not been in the Champions League in seven years. Both sets of fans will make sure to attend every game possible, meaning that neutrals and fans of both clubs who have issues securing tickets on time will miss out on the live experience.
This will be the same situation for every RC Lens ticket or Arsenal ticket in their other group matches in the ongoing season.
Fans who cannot get RC Lens vs Arsenal tickets can catch the game on television via the official broadcast partner of the Champions League in their region.
TNT Sports on Discovery+, however, is available worldwide to stream the match. Fans can download the Discovery+ app on their internet and streaming-enabled gadgets and subscribe to the package that will air the match.
Team news
Jimmy Cabot (knee) and Wuilker Farinez (knee) are the long-term injury absentees for Franck Haise. The injury to two key players has left the squad a little thin, which many believe is one of the reasons that the Blood and Gold have started the season poorly. Lens is also without Portuguese midfielder David Pereira da Costa thanks to a shoulder issue whose recovery date continues to be uncertain, but closer than Cabot and Farinez’s.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are only without Jurrien Timber, Mohammed Elneny and Thomas Partey, who are long-term absences. Gabriel Martinelli is on course to return to the squad but his inclusion in the starting lineup is uncertain. In his place, Leandro Trossard has been phenomenal.
Lineups
Rising star Elye Wahi who almost moved to the Premier League in the summer transfer window when Arsenal and Chelsea were said to be linked to his signature is fit to start against the Gunners. He will be leading the line just as he did against Sevilla in what he hopes would be an audition for the team which he has previously declared his admiration for and his ambition to represent at some point in his career.
Lens coach Haise will surely go for the same team that started against Sevilla, as that has proven to be his strongest lineup this season.
RC Lens: Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Abdul Samed, Mendy, Machado; Sotoca, Fulgini; Wahi
Loan signing David Raya has officially taken over from Aaron Ramsdale as Arsenal’s number 1 goalkeeper and Mikel Arteta is not being subtle about it. He allowed his compatriot to settle in for a while but has eased him in slowly into the season.
After starting the match against PSV in which he completed the most passes of any player in the Champions League for matchday 1, it has become obvious that the Barcelona-born goalkeeper is Arteta’s new find.
Gabriel Martinelli is back but Leandro Trossard’s form will make it a little difficult to drop him. The Brazilian forward could get a start, however, but we believe that this is Trossard’s game.
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Vieira; Saka, Jesus, Trossard
Prediction
RC Lens vs Arsenal has all the makings of a classic match.
The fanfare, the history of both sides as rookies (sort of) and the possibility of either team upsetting each other to take a hold on the tournament over the more experienced Sevilla and PSV who have regularly appeared in the competition in the time both have been away make it a game to follow.
Arsenal are in better shape than their French hosts who will also be on guard to make sure that the Gunners fail to aim their cannons accurately. If they do, the Blood and Gold will be ready to be human shields against the attacks of the English side.
The game will be entertaining and fought in the midfield. The counterattacks will be swift but Arsenal will find themselves playing less possession football thanks to the home advantage that Lens will enjoy.
The form of the French team will not be enough to stop the English team at the moment, however, which is why we predict an Arsenal win for this game.
RC Lens 0 – 2 Arsenal.