Lens boss Pierre Sage hit out at the postponement of his team’s Ligue 1 fixture against title rivals Paris Saint-Germain.

It is incredibly tight at the top of Ligue 1 ahead of Lens facing local rivals Lille on Saturday.

Lens were then due to go up against defending champions PSG in a true six-pointer on April 11.

However, that match was postponed at PSG’s request, due to their participation in the Champions League, in which they face Liverpool in a two-legged quarter-final.

Lens confirmed their opposition to the decision, and though Sage is frustrated, he is trying not to pay the situation too much mind.

“I was against it, you can imagine my opinion hasn’t changed,” he said.

“Today it is what it is, and we’re not going to play the victim. The date has been moved, but the match isn’t lost. We still have our chances, and we’re going to seize them fully.

“The game will likely be on May 6 or 13. If we get tangled up in our heads until that date, we’ll need painkillers. We’re going to avoid that.

“We need to use this time to gain energy rather than complain or get caught up in things that aren’t like us at all.”

Ensemble #FiersDEtreLensois #LOSCRCL pic.twitter.com/1mBglWmlC2

— Racing Club de Lens (@RCLens) April 3, 2026

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lille – Romain Perraud

Perraud could play his 100th Ligue 1 match (20 with Nice, 56 with Brest, 23 with Lille so far).

He has attempted 99 crosses in the top-flight this season, 30 more than any other Lille player, 17 of which have been chances created, also the highest total for his team.

Lens – Mamadou Sangare

Sangare is the only player to have won 150 or more duels (159) and gained 150 or more possessions (163) in Ligue 1 this season.

The midfielder has been crucial to Lens’ title tilt and will be out to make another big impact against Lille.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Lille and Lens will face each other for the 122nd time in all competitions, with RCL having only played more against Monaco (125).

Lille have beaten Lens 47 times in all competitions (D38 L36), their joint-most victories against a single opponent, level with Rennes.

They have also won nine of their last ten home games against Lens in Ligue 1, scoring 20 goals and conceding just five in this run, with the only exception being a 1-2 defeat in April 2022.

Should they win, Lille would have 50 points in Ligue 1 this season. In the last 15 campaigns, only one of the 49 teams to reach this tally after 28 top-flight matches has failed to qualify for a European competition: Monaco in 2022/23 (54 points – sixth at the end of the season).

Lens, though, have their best goal difference after 27 Ligue 1 matches (+30). Racing Club de Lens are also the third team in the 21st century to have scored 50+ goals (54) and conceded fewer than 25 goals (24) at this stage of a top-flight campaign, after Lyon (2007-08, 2014-15) and PSG (10 times, including 2025-26).

Lille have won just one of their last five home games in Ligue 1 (D2 L2), after winning each of the previous four.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Lille – 36.9%

Draw – 27.5%

Lens – 35.6%