Under the lights at Bollaert, Yannick Cahuzac takes charge of his first home match as Lens coach on Friday evening, with Lyon arriving after a three-week Ligue 1 break.
The meeting kicks off at 20:45, with Lens sitting 15th in the table and needing a response against a Lyon side placed second. Cahuzac has made one particularly notable call in his first home selection: Florian Sotoca starts up front.
It is Sotoca’s first start of the season. The Lens forward had not begun a match since the final day of last term, when Lens beat Lyon 4-0 on 17 May. His return to the line-up gives Cahuzac an experienced attacking option for a match carrying immediate weight at both ends of the standings.
Lyon keep their established attacking shape
Paulo Fonseca has named the expected Lyon side for the trip north. Pavel Sulc is set to operate as the playmaker, supplying former Lens striker Loïs Openda and Ernest Nuamah in attack.
For Cahuzac, Friday offers more than the restart of the league season. It is his first chance to address the Bollaert crowd from the Lens bench, with Sotoca’s unexpected inclusion adding another thread to a fixture that has already produced a memorable result between the clubs this year.
