PSV vs Lens match facts

PSV Eindhoven remain off the pace in Group B as they welcome unbeaten Lens to the Netherlands looking for their first victory in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage.

The Dutch side took the lead in France on Matchday 3 thanks to Johan Bakayoko's 54th-minute strike, but Elye Wahi levelled 11 minutes later to earn Lens a draw.

The French side, who had beaten Arsenal 2-1 in their first home fixture after a 1-1 draw at Sevilla on Matchday 1, are now second in the standings, one point behind the English club. PSV, meanwhile, are level with Sevilla on two points, drawing 2-2 at home to the Spanish side in their second game after a 4-0 opening loss at Arsenal.

Matchday 3 was the sides' first fixture.

Form guide

PSV

Record vs French clubs: W10 D16 L11 F36 A40
Home record vs French clubs: W8 D6 L4

PSV faced French opposition in last season's Champions League third qualifying round, winning 3-2 at home against Monaco in the second leg and 4-3 on aggregate.

That second-leg win made it three victories in PSV's last four home games against Ligue 1 visitors.

A 2-1 loss against Monaco in Eindhoven in the 2021/22 Europa League group stage is PSV's only defeat in their last seven games with French teams, home and away (W2 D4).

The most recent of PSV's 16 Champions League group campaigns came in 2018/19, when they finished fourth in their section having collected only two points.

The Eindhoven club have lost three times in qualifying since then, including play-off defeats at the hands of Benfica in 2021/22 (1-2 a, 0-0 h) and Rangers last season (2-2 a, 0-1 h).

PSV were second behind Arsenal in Europa League Group A in 2022/23 having transferred across from the Champions League, winning four of their six games, but eventual champions Sevilla ended their run in the knockout round play-offs despite a second-leg fightback (0-3 a, 2-0 h).

Second in the Eredivisie for the third season in a row in 2022/23, finishing runners-up to Feyenoord after two campaigns behind Ajax, PSV kicked off this European campaign in the Champions League third qualifying round, sweeping past Sturm Graz (4-1 h, 3-1 a) with Luuk de Jong scoring three goals in the tie.

Beaten by Rangers in the 2022/23 play-offs, PSV turned the tables at the same stage this season, another 2-2 away draw in the first leg preceding a 5-1 home second-leg success in Eindhoven.

De Jong's second-leg header against Rangers made him the first player in PSV's history to score in five consecutive European matches. Willy van der Kuijlen, Ralf Edström, Gerrie Deijkers, Romário and Balázs Dzsudzsák had all scored in four European games in a row.

The Matchday 2 draw with Sevilla ended PSV's five-match winning run in home European matches in which they scored 18 goals; last season's defeat by Rangers is the only reverse in their last nine (W6 D2).

The Dutch club are without a win in their last eight home Champions League games, group stage to final (D4 L4), since a 2-1 defeat of CSKA Moskva on Matchday 6 in 2015/16.

That is also PSV's last win in the Champions League group stage; their record since is D6 L9.

Lens

Record vs Dutch clubs: W1 D2 L3 F9 A10
Away record vs Dutch clubs: W0 D1 L2 

This is only Lens' seventh game against a Dutch club, Matchday 3 having been the first since they conceded in the 90th minute to lose 1-0 at Heerenveen in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage.

The French side drew 1-1 at Vitesse in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup second round second leg, completing a 5-2 aggregate victory.

Lens' other away game against Eredivisie visitors ended in a 3-2 loss at Den Haag in the 1975/76 European Cup Winners' Cup second round first leg; they bowed out 6-3 on aggregate.

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 a notable 1-0 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 losing to Arsenal (0-1 a, 1-2 h).

The French club are without a win in 12 away European matches (D7 L5), since a 4-2 success at Polish side Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup first round.

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.

Links and trivia

PSV coach Peter Bosz was in charge of Lyon from May 2021 to October 2022, overseeing a win, a draw and a defeat against Lens, all in Ligue 1.

Have played in France:
Walter Benítez (Nice 2016–22)
Olivier Boscagli (Nice 2013–19, Nîmes 2017/18 loan)

While Boscagli never faced Lens during his time in France, Benítez won three of his four games against Les Sang et Or while at Nice although he lost the last, 3-0 in Ligue 1 on 10 April 2022.

Have played together:
Luuk de Jong & Massadio Haïdara (Newcastle 2013/14)
Oscar Boscagli & Nampalys Mendy (Nice 2014–16)
Walter Benítez & Nampalys Mendy (Nice 2017/18)
Noa Lang & Faitout Maouassa (Club Brugge 2020/21)

Latest news

PSV

PSV's perfect start to their Eredivisie 2023/24 campaign continued on Saturday with a 6-0 win at Heracles Almelo. It was their biggest away league win since a 7-0 success at Den Haag on 15 September 2018.

Luuk de Jong's penalty opened the scoring, the PSV captain's ninth league goal of the season. He now has 158 Eredivisie goals, making him the highest scorer in the Dutch top flight in the 21st century.

Jerdy Schouten got his first PSV goal at the weekend, with Malik Tillman on target for the third time in five league games and Guus Til making it five goals in seven Eredivisie appearances.

The Eindhoven club have scored 41 goals after 11 Eredivisie games, their highest tally since hitting 46 in 1999/2000.

PSV were 5-2 victors at home to Ajax on 29 October despite going behind twice and trailing 1-2 at half-time despite Hirving Lozano's equaliser. However, second-half goals by Ismael Saibari, De Jong and two more from Lozano wrapped up another win for Peter Bosz's side.

Lozano's hat-trick was PSV's first against Ajax since Mark van Bommel in March 2005.

De Jong has now scored in six successive matches against Ajax, the first player ever to do so; Spitz Kohn and Dirk Kuyt both struck in five games in a row.

Captain De Jong is PSV's top scorer this season, with 15 goals in all competitions.

Noa Lang has not played since suffering a hamstring injury in a 4-0 victory at Sparta Rotterdam on 8 October.

Armel Bella-Kotchap has missed PSV's last four matches with a shoulder injury.

Armando Obispo and Mauro Júnior are still to play this season due to knee injuries.

Lozano marked his first appearance for Mexico since March with the opening goal in a 2-0 friendly victory against Ghana on 15 October.

Midfielder Saibari has signed a new contract until 2028. The Moroccan international broke through into the first team last season after two years in the PSV youth set-up.

PSV's 4-0 defeat at Arsenal on Matchday 1 is their only reverse so far this season. Their record otherwise in all competitions is W15 D3.

The only matches they have failed to win have been in Europe, the defeat at Arsenal and 2-2 draws against Rangers in the play-offs and Sevilla on Matchday 2 plus the 1-1 draw at Lens.

Bosz's first match at the helm ended in a first trophy, his new side defeating Dutch champions Feyenoord 1-0 in the Johan Cruyff Schaal on 4 August thanks to a goal by Lang.

Walter Benítez is the only player not to have missed a minute of PSV's 19 matches so far this season.

Lens

Lens recorded their fourth draw in five games in all competitions on Saturday, playing out a goalless Ligue 1 stalemate at Lorient.

Les Sang et Or are now unbeaten in their last six Ligue 1 games (W3 D3), and nine in all competitions (W4 D5).

Lens followed their draw against PSV with a 4-0 home win in Ligue 1 against Nantes on 28 October, their biggest victory of the season.

Winger Florian Sotoca scored two penalties, making it three goals this season; it was his first double since 31 August 2022.

On 20 October Lens drew for the second league match in succession as they were held 0-0 at Le Havre. It was their first goalless draw since 29 December 2022.

Summer recruit Elye Wahi scored his first Lens goal to earn a 1-0 win at Strasbourg on 29 September. The France Under-21 international followed it up with the winner against Arsenal, his first European goal, and his equaliser against PSV and has three goals in his last six club games.

Les Sang et Or have 13 points after 11 games, 11 less than at the same stage last season.

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 had to wait until 24 September to register their first win of the season in all competitions, a 2-1 home Ligue 1 defeat of Toulouse. They have won three of their subsequent seven games.

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. 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, the former the first player from Uzbekistan to appear in Ligue 1.

Przemyslaw Frankowski set up a goal in Poland's 2-0 UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying win in the Faroe Islands on 12 October.

Morgan Guilavogui scored the only goal as Guinea beat Guinea-Bissau in a friendly on 13 October.

Nampalys Mendy was part of Senegal team who defeated Cameroon friendly 1-0 at Lens' Stade Bollaert-Delelis on 16 October.

Wahi set up one of the goals as France beat Cyprus 9-0 in Grenoble in 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying on 17 October, the team's record win.

Kevin Danso was taken off with an adductor injury in the second half of Austria's 3-2 home defeat by Belgium on 13 October and missed the 1-0 victory in Azerbaijan four days later that booked his side's place at UEFA EURO 2024. He returned to action for Lens on 20 October.

Massadio Haïdara came on as a substitute in Seville on Matchday 1, his first appearance since 2 September due to a groin problem, although he subsequently picked up a thigh injury and was out until starting at Le Havre.

David Costa had not played since 20 August due to a shoulder injury before coming off the bench on Matchday 3. A thigh problem means he has not featured since.

Wesley Saïd has also been sidelined since Matchday 3, also by a thigh problem.

On 30 October Brice Samba finished tenth in the voting for the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper. Wahi was ninth in the poll for the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player.