Lens vs Arsenal match facts

Lens' first home UEFA Champions League game in 21 years reunites them with their opponents in their first ever game in the competition as Arsenal come to northern France in the second round of Group B games.

The French club kicked off only their third appearance in the Champions League – and a first since 2002/03 – with a 1-1 draw at UEFA Europa League holders Sevilla, Angelo Fulgini's first-half equaliser earning a point. Arsenal, themselves ending a six-year absence from the competition, returned in style with a 4-0 home win against PSV Eindhoven in which four different players got on the scoresheet.

Previous meetings 

Lens wins 1
Arsenal wins 2
Draws 1
Lens goals 3
Arsenal goals 4

The teams last met in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup semi-finals, Arsène Wenger's Arsenal winning 1-0 at home and 2-1 away. Dennis Bergkamp's second-minute strike settled the first leg at Highbury with Thierry Henry (42) and Nwankwo Kanu (86) scoring late in each half at the Stade Félix-Bollaert either side of Pascal Nouma's 72nd-minute goal for the home team.

Lens had earned a famous win against the Gunners at Wembley on Matchday 5 of the 1998/99 Champions League, Mickaël Debève scoring the only goal in the 72nd minute.

The French club had marked their first game in the Champions League with a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal on 16 September 1998, Tony Vairelles striking two minutes into added time to cancel out Marc Overmars' 51st-minute opener.

Form guide

Lens

Record vs English clubs: W1 D1 L2 F3 A4
Home record vs English clubs: W0 D1 L1

Those games against Arsenal in 1998 and 2000 are Lens' only fixtures against an English club.

Lens are in the Champions League group stage for the first time since making their second appearance in 2002/03 when, as on their 1998/99 debut, they failed to reach the knockout rounds.

Les Sang et Or were second behind Dynamo Kyiv in their Champions League group in 1998/99, picking up eight points including that notable victory at Arsenal. They also collected eight points in the first group stage four years later, finishing third in a section behind eventual champions AC Milan and Deportivo La Coruña, who had lost 2-1 and 3-1 respectively at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

This is Lens' first European campaign since 2007/08 when, having qualified as one of the UEFA Intertoto Cup winners, they lost to Copenhagen in the UEFA Cup first round (1-1 h, 1-2 a aet).

Lens, who also won an Intertoto Cup in 2005, enjoyed their most successful European campaign in 1999/2000, reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals before that defeat by Arsenal.

The French club are unbeaten in five home European matches, winning four, since a 2-1 loss at home to Parma in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage. That is their only loss in their last 16 European games in their own stadium (W13 D2).

A 3-1 reverse against Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 6 in 1998/99 is Lens' only home Champions League defeat (W3 D2).

Promoted back to the top flight in 2020 after five seasons in Ligue 2, in 2022/23 Franck Haise guided Lens to their highest league finish since ending as runners-up to Lyon in 2001/02, his side finishing second in Ligue 1 on 84 points – one behind Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal

Record vs French clubs: W14 D8 L4 F37 A22
Away record vs French clubs: W8 D4 L1

Arsenal's last games against a French club came in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League round of 16, when they overturned a 3-1 first-leg away loss at Rennes with a 3-0 win in north London.

That first-leg defeat in Brittany was the Gunners' first in France. They have won eight of their 13 fixtures, including seven in a row before the trip that preceded that loss at Rennes, a 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage.

This is Arsenal's 20th Champions League group stage campaign – second only to Manchester United's 25 among English clubs – but a first since 2016/17, their 19th in a row, all under Wenger.

In that 2016/17 campaign, the Gunners lost in the round of 16 for the seventh season running, going down 5-1 away and at home against Bayern München.

Arsenal's most successful European campaign in recent years came in 2018/19 when, under Unai Emery, they reached the Europa League final only to lose 4-1 to London rivals Chelsea in Baku.

In 2022/23, now coached by Arteta, Arsenal finished first in their Europa League section to earn direct passage to the round of 16, where they lost 5-3 on penalties to Sporting CP in the home second leg (2-2 a, 1-1 h aet).

Arsenal have won 11 of their last 17 away European matches, losing only two – although those defeats have come in their last five fixtures.

The Gunners have lost four of their last eight away Champions League matches, winning three.

Champions League runners-up in 2006, when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona at the Stade de France, Arsenal were second in the Premier League last season, five points behind Manchester City. It was their highest final league position since also finishing as runners-up, to Leicester, in 2015/16.

Links and trivia

Have played in England:
Brice Samba (Nottingham Forest 2019–22)
Massadio Haïdara (Newcastle 2013–18)
Kevin Danso (Southampton 2019/20)
Nampalys Mendy (Leicester 2016–23)

Have played in France:
William Saliba (St-Étienne 2016–19, Nice 2021 loan, Marseille 2021/22 loan)
Gabriel (LOSC Lille 2017–20, Troyes 2017/18 loan)

International team-mates:
Brice Samba & William Saliba (France)
Salis Abdul Samed & Thomas Partey (Ghana)

Buyako Saka and Declan Rice started, with Aaron Ramsdale an unused substitute, in England's 2-1 defeat by France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.

Mikel Arteta played for Paris Saint-Germain for 18 months between 2001 and 2002, scoring five goals in 53 matches in all competitions. He drew both matches against Lens, 2-2 and 1-1.

Latest news

Lens

Summer transfers
In: Andy Diouf (Basel), Angelo Fulgini (Mainz, loan made permanent), Morgan Guilavogui (Paris FC), Neil El Aynaoui (Nancy), Stijn Spierings (Toulouse), Abdukodir Khusanov (BGU Minsk), Oscar Cortés (Millonarios), Elye Wahi (Montpellier), Ruben Aguilar (Monaco), Faitout Maouassa (Club Brugge, loan), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester)

Out: Ismaël Boura (Troyes), Tom Ducrocq (Bastia), Steven Fortes (released), Adrien Louveau (released), Rémy Labeau Lascary (Laval, loan), Loïs Openda (Leipzig), Adam Buksa (Antalyaspor, loan), Seko Fofana (Al-Nassr), Jean Onana (Beşiktaş), Alexis Claude-Maurice (Nice), Yacouba Barry (Annecy), Mamadou Camara (Nancy, loan), Łukasz Poręba (Hamburg, loan), Julien Le Cardinal (Brest, loan)

On Friday Lens made it successive Ligue 1 victories, and three games unbeaten in all competitions (W2 D1) with a 1-0 victory at Strasbourg thanks to Elye Wahi's first goal for the club.

Lens lost four of their first five Ligue 1 fixtures this season, drawing the other 1-1 at home to Rennes on 20 August. They went down 1-0 at home to Metz on 16 September to make it three successive league defeats for the first time since May 2021.

Les Sang et Or bounced back by registering their first win of the season with a 2-1 home defeat of Toulouse on 24 September.

Angelo Fulgini scored against Sevilla on his European debut. The attacking midfielder has now scored three goals for Lens, all in different competitions: Ligue 1, French Cup and UEFA Champions League.

One point from five games was Lens' worst start to a Ligue 1 campaign. The win against Toulouse lifted the club up to 16th, just outside the relegation places, after six games. Four points after five matches was their lowest total since picking up three in 2007/08.

Abdukodir Khusanov and Ruben Aguilar made their Lens debuts against Metz on 16 September, the former the first player from Uzbekistan to appear in Ligue 1.

Summer signing Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal for the club away to Paris Saint-Germain on 26 August, an added-time consolation in a 3-1 defeat. He also got the winner against Toulouse.

Colombian defender Deiver Machado scored in each of Lens' first two Ligue 1 fixtures, a 3-2 defeat at Brest on 13 August and the draw against Rennes the following week.

Brice Samba has been nominated for the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper, while new signing Wahi has been nominated for the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player. Both winners will be announced in Paris on 30 October.

Massadio Haïdara came on as a substitute in Seville, his first appearance since 2 September due to a groin problem, although he has not played since having picked up a thigh injury.

David Costa has not played since 26 August due to a shoulder injury.

Goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez and midfielder Jimmy Cabot have not featured this season due to knee injuries; neither has been included in the UEFA Champions League squad.

Arsenal

Summer transfers
In: Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jurriën Timber (Ajax), David Raya (Brentford, loan)

Out: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Lyon), Pablo Marí (Monza), Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen), Auston Trusty (Sheffield United), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest), Marquinhos (Nantes, loan), Rúnar Rúnarsson (Cardiff, loan), Kieran Tierney (Real Sociedad, loan), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Nuno Tavares (Nottingham Forest, loan), Arthur Okonkwo (Wrexham, loan), Albert Sambi Lokonga (Luton, loan), Rob Holding (Crystal Palace), Nicolas Pépé (Trabzonspor)

Arsenal recorded their biggest Premier League win of the season on Saturday, triumphing 4-0 at Bournemouth. Kai Havertz scored his first goal for the club from the penalty spot with Ben White registering his first of the season.

Arsenal have won their opening three away games in a top-flight campaign for the fourth time, after 1930/31, 2004/05 and 2013/14, and the first without conceding a goal.

Arsenal have kept 13 away clean sheets in the Premier League since the start of last season, five more than any other side.

The Gunners are still unbeaten in this season's Premier League, winning five of their seven games.

They have dropped points in two 2-2 home draws, against Fulham on 26 August and against north London rivals Tottenham on 24 September in a game they led twice.

Declan Rice scored his first Arsenal goal in a 3-1 home victory against Manchester United on 3 September.

Bukayo Saka is Arsenal's top scorer in this season's Premier League on four goals, one more than Martin Ødegaard with Eddie Nketiah on two. Saka and Ødegaard, a penalty, both found the net on Saturday.

Saka has five goals and two assists in his last eight Premier League games.

The Gunners were 1-0 winners at Brentford in the English League Cup third round on 27 September; they will visit West Ham in the last 16 in the week commencing 30 October.

Mikel Arteta's side kicked off the season by lifting the Community Shield for the 17th time – and the fifth in the last decade – by beating Premier League champions and FA Cup holders Manchester City 4-1 on penalties at Wembley on 6 August.

Rice (back) and Saka (calf) both picked up injuries against Tottenham, while Leandro Trossard has a thigh injury. Rice and Saka both started on Saturday, when Trossard was an unused substitute.

Gabriel Martinelli limped off midway through the first half of a 1-0 win at Everton on 17 September and has not played since.

Jurriën Timber suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his first Premier League appearance, Arsenal's 2-1 home win against Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend of the season on 12 August.

Thomas Partey has been sidelined since going off with a groin injury in the draw against Fulham.

Mohamed Elneny came on as a late substitute at Brentford, his first appearance since undergoing knee surgery in January.

Saka and Ødegaard have been included on the 30-shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, which will be announced in Paris on 30 October. Aaron Ramsdale has been nominated for the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper.

Ramsdale, Saka, Ødegaard and William Saliba were all included in the Professional Football Association's team of the year for 2022/23, which was announced on 29 August. Saka won the young player of the year award.