RC Lens face their sharpest early-season examination on Tuesday evening when Sporting Portugal arrive at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, unbeaten and carrying the pedigree of last season’s Champions League quarter-finals.
The 18:45 kick-off will also mark Yannick Cahuzac’s first match as a head coach in Europe’s leading club competition. Less than a month into his spell in charge, the former Lens midfielder has already experienced a rapid sequence of landmark nights: a 2-1 defeat at Monaco after only two training sessions, followed by a 2-1 win over Lyon after three weeks of proper preparation.
Sporting offer a far more revealing measure of where Lens stand under their new manager. The Portuguese champions have not lost this season and have scored 23 goals in all competitions in 2025-26, including a 3-1 Champions League victory over Galatasaray.
Cahuzac brings a calmer approach
Cahuzac has taken charge after a turbulent transition around the club. Dino Toppmöller had signed off with a 3-2 win against Slavia Prague, giving Lens a valuable European result before his exit. His departure came quickly, with Cahuzac leaving alongside him in a show of solidarity before later taking control of the first team.
The mood has changed since then. Senior players have been reassured by a more measured and structured approach, with Cahuzac reducing some of the risk in Lens’s pressing game. The previous high-pressure plan could leave the team exposed immediately after losing possession; the new coach has sought greater control without abandoning the intensity that remains central to Lens’s identity.
Tuesday will show how far that adjustment has gone. Lens are still a relatively inexperienced squad and staff group at this level, while the summer departures of key midfield figures Mamadou Sangaré and Adrien Thomasson have reduced the side’s established core.
Sporting identify Lens’s danger
Sporting coach Rui Borges expects a demanding contest despite Lens’s recent upheaval. He described the French side as brave and particularly dangerous near the opposition penalty area.
“They are a very courageous team and very strong in the final third,” Borges said. “Their collective intensity is impressive, especially in the wide areas.”
The visitors’ unbeaten start makes them an unforgiving opponent for a Lens side still searching for certainty after the Pierre Sage era and the subsequent changes on the bench. The question at Bollaert is whether Cahuzac’s more controlled Lens can withstand a side accustomed to the highest European nights, or whether the gaps exposed by their old pressing habits remain.
Cahuzac’s day will begin with an early-morning BEPF coaching-course video session before he meets his players two hours later. By the end of the evening, the latest debut in a whirlwind first month may provide his clearest answer yet.
