Champions League Matchday 1: Slavia Praha vs Lens facts
Friday, September 4, 2026
Article summary
Previous meetings, club facts and key stats ahead of the UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 game.
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Slavia Praha and Lens are both in the UEFA Champions League again and kick off their 2026/27 campaigns with a Matchday 1 meeting at the Eden Arena in Prague.
Previous meetings
The teams' only previous fixtures came in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup third round, Slavia progressing 1-0 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw in Prague and a 1-0 win in Lens. Those are also Lens' only fixtures against Czech opposition.
Slavia have won four of their last six matches against French opponents (L2) including the most recent three at home. However, the last – a 2-1 success against LOSC Lille in the 2024/25 Champions League play-off round second leg – proved insufficient to overturn a 2-0 away first-leg loss.
Form guide
This is Slavia's fourth campaign in the Champions League proper; they were eliminated in the group stage in 2007/08 and 2019/20.
In 2025/26, the Prague side were 34th in the league phase (D3 L5).
The Czech club are taking part in a UEFA group stage/league phase for the tenth successive season.
This is Lens' fourth Champions League campaign and a second in four seasons. The French side were third in their section in 2023/24 – their first appearance since 2002/03, behind Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven but above Sevilla (W2 D2 L2).
Les Sang et Or lost 2-3 to Panathinaikos in the 2024/25 UEFA Conference League qualifying play-off, their last European fixtures.
Links and trivia
Slavia are making successive appearances in the Champions League proper for the first time.
The Prague club are without a win in their last 15 European matches (D5 L10).
Slavia have not won any of their last 19 games in the Champions League proper (D7 L12), since a 2-1 home victory against Steaua București on Matchday 1 of their debut campaign in September 2007.
Lens won their first Coupe de France last season, beating Nice 3-1 in the final, and added the Trophée des Champions on 16 August with a 1-0 victory against champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The French club lost only two of their last nine Champions League group stage games (W4 D3).
None of Lens' 18 Champions League group stage matches finished goalless.
Les Sang et Or have scored in 15 of their 18 games at this stage.
Lens are winless in 16 away European fixtures (D7 L9), since a 4-2 victory at Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski in the UEFA Cup first round second leg in September 2005.