Twenty three years after their last meetings in European football, Lens and Arsenal face off in the Champions League group stages with the Gunners strong favorites to emerge victorious from their trip to northern France. Indeed you could not really blame Mikel Arteta if he had one eye on Sunday's clash with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium, a match which may be critical to the Gunners' title hopes.
They would be well advised not to take Lens for granted as so many did in Ligue 1 last season, where Les Sang et Or pushed Paris Saint-Germain close in pursuit of a title. They might have begun the new campaign slowly but Franck Heise's side have begun to pick up results of late and will have their eye on a famous victory when one of Europe's richest sides come to town. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
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Viewing information
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 3 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Stade Bollaert-Delelis -- Lens, France
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Lens +450; Draw: +320; Arsenal -175
Storylines
Lens: A recovery in form that began with a battling draw in Seville on the opening matchday has begun to gather pace in the Pas-de-Calais with Lens having battled their way to victories over Strasbourg and Toulouse that have at least dragged last season's runners up away from Ligue 1's early relegation zone. Most encouragingly of all might be Elye Wahi's first goal for the club in a win against the former of those two sides, the 20 year old is considered one of Europe's top young strikers and was linked to several English clubs during the summer.
In their opening match Arsenal profited from a PSV Eindhoven side determined to take on the Gunners at their own game. That will not happen against Lens, it seems, with Heise telling reporters: "We will have to play this match with our character and the desire to impose certain things on the game. Possession is not what we have to win the match on. I hope to have some time in control but the fight is not about possession of the ball."
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Arsenal: Fears of a burgeoning injury crisis in north London appear to be easing somewhat after Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka shook off knocks to feature in Saturday's 4-0 win over Bournemouth. Though the latter limped out of that game he was able to train on Monday, where he was joined by Thomas Partey, who has not played since a draw with Fulham in late August. The Ghanaian may be one who is held in reserve for Sunday's match but suddenly Arteta does not look short of options at a pivotal moment in the season.
He will certainly hope that his side can continue their fine road form early in the season. In their four away games so far Arsenal have not conceded so much as a goal.
Prediction
Arsenal look like a force to be reckoned with on the road and should have enough about them to tighten their grip on top spot. PICK: Lens 0, Arsenal 2
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Arsenal
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Arsenal
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Arsenal
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Arsenal
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Arsenal
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Arsenal
| DRAW |
Arsenal
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Matchday 2 TV schedule
All times Eastern
| Tuesday, Oct. 3 | Time | How to watch |
|---|---|---|
Union Berlin vs. Braga | 12:45 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Red Bull Salzburg vs. Rea Sociedad | 12:45 p.m. | Paramount+ |
UEFA Champions League Today Pre-Match | 2 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network |
The Golazo Show | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Napoli vs. Real Madrid | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Manchester United vs. Galatasaray | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Lens vs. Arsenal | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Inter vs. Benfica | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
PSV vs. Sevilla | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Golazo Network |
Copenhagen vs. Bayern Munich | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network |
UEFA Champions League Today Post-Match | 5 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network |
The Champions Club | 6 p.m. | CBS Sports Golazo Network |
| Wednesday, Oct. 4 | Time | How to watch |
|---|---|---|
Atletico Madrid vs. Feyenoord | 12:45 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Golazo Network |
Antwerp vs. Shakhtar Donetsk | 12:45 p.m. | Paramount+ |
UEFA Champions League Today Pre-Match | 2 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network |
The Golazo Show | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Newcastle United vs. Paris Saint-Germain | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Borussia Dortmund vs. AC Milan | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Porto vs. Barcelona | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
Crvena zvezda vs. Young Boys | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Golazo Network |
Celtic vs. Lazio | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network |
UEFA Champions League Today Post-Match | 5 p.m. | Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network |
The Champions Club | 6 p.m. | CBS Sports Golazo Network |
Kickin' It | 7 p.m. | CBS Sports Golazo Network |
