PSG Meet Bizarre Obstacle in Liverpool Champions League Preparations

Paris Saint-Germain’s hope of removing all distractions from the upcoming Champions League quarterfinal against Liverpool is at risk after RC Lens expressed unequivocal refusal that a Ligue 1 match between them, scheduled in the middle of the European legs, be postponed.

PSG and Lens are locked in one of France’s closest title races in recent times, with the reigning domestic and continental champions from the capital ahead by a single point—PSG do also have a game in hand on the challengers seeking a first French title in 28 years.

Luis Enrique’s team is due to host Liverpool in leg one of the quarterfinal on April 8, followed by the second leg at Anfield on April 14. But PSG are also supposed to play Lens in a match that could have huge domestic ramifications on April 11. The Parisians want that fixture moved to a later date to allow them maximum rest and preparation time between the Champions League games.

French football authorities have often altered the domestic schedule to boost PSG in Europe. For example, their match against Toulouse before the quarterfinal first leg has been pulled forward to Friday, April 3, extending the gap until facing Liverpool.

This feels different, with Lens potentially put at an unfair disadvantage if France’s football authorities accept a reported request from PSG to move what could be a title decider in the northern city.

That is exactly what Lens pointed out in a statement issued this week, suggesting that Ligue 1 and its competitive integrity is being “relegated” to secondary importance.

Domestic Integrity vs. European Advantage

Lens said they immediately made clear to PSG of an “intention not to see this date changed.”

“It does indeed appear to us that a troubling sentiment is taking hold: that of a French championship gradually relegated to the status of an adjustment variable at the whim of the European imperatives of some. A singular conception of sporting equity, the equivalent of which is hard to find in other major continental competitions.

“Changing the date of this match today would mean, for Racing Club de Lens, being deprived of competition for 15 days and then chaining matches every three days—a rhythm that corresponds neither to the one defined at the start of the championship, nor to the resources of a club that could absorb this type of new constraint without consequence.

“It would therefore be understood that the tenth budget in the championship should adapt to the demands of the most powerful, in the name of interests that, evidently, now extend beyond the domestic framework, which has already been lightened in recent seasons (L1 reduced to 18 clubs, discontinuation of the Coupe de la Ligue).

“Beyond this particular case, the question raised is more fundamental: that of the respect due to the competition itself. For it is permissible to wonder when, on its own soil, the championship sometimes seems relegated behind other ambitions, however legitimate they may be. Racing Club de Lens remains committed to equity, the clarity of rules, and respect for all stakeholders. Simple principles, for a loyal and respected French football.”

Ligue de Football Professionnel to Decide on PSG Scheduling

For what it’s worth, Liverpool have a domestic match on April 11, at home to Fulham. The Reds will also have played—against Manchester City in the FA Cup—a day closer to the first leg than PSG.

Whether the Ligue de Football Professionnel—the body that organizes Ligue 1—will go ahead and postpone the Lens vs. PSG match remains to be seen. But, despite one team being so against it, the LFP has the power to do so and reports in France suggest a decision will come on March 26.

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