The Racing Club de Lens faces Arsenal in a Tom Thumb costume, but with the real ambition of defying all predictions.
It is an awakening to sweet and distant memories. More than two decades ago, during one of its last appearances in the Champions League, Racing Club de Lens achieved one of the most resounding feats in its history by winning at Wembley against Arsenal ( 1-0). The Sang et Or return to the London club this Tuesday, in Bollaert. Here are 3 reasons to believe in the feat.
Lens has a real method against the big guys
The tone was set at a press conference by Franck Haise. If Lens is obviously an outsider in this gala match, the know-how acquired in the matches against Paris Saint-Germain, a European leader, will be very useful this Tuesday evening. Intensity and unity will be there.
“Obviously it’s a big challenge, due to the experience and the quality of this team, the past, the present, launched Franck Haise. It’s obviously a big challenge. Now, we also met teams from a different category, even if it wasn’t in the Champions League, notably Paris and we managed to get a result. We are not going to compare ourselves to Arsenal, but we must play these matches with a lot of character, as we did in Seville and even if the start was complicated. We played this match with a lot of character, on our principles, commitment, our desire to impose certain things too. We want to build our moment, that’s the most important thing. »
Arsenal, a very relative experience
With its trajectory over the past year and a half, this Arsenal vintage has scared its opponents. But if the European culture of the club is not to be demonstrated – even though the London team is one of the rare big names in the country not to have C1 on its track record – we have to go back 7 years to find traces of participation of the Gunners in the prestigious tournament. As talented as it is, this Arsenal team remains novice at the highest European level. A lack of experience which could be reflected in the management of weak times or the ability not to be countered by an opponent who will try to suck him in to attack the depth.
Arsenal have a hellish schedule
After a smooth start to the season, the Gunners are tackling their first passes this season. And if this trip to Lens does not look like a cakewalk, the London club will have to ignore the rest of its schedule since in a few days there will be a shock against Manchester City which already looks like a turning point, before a London derby against Chelsea. Unconsciously, these matches will perhaps be on the minds of Mikel Arteta’s men. It’s up to Lens to benefit from it.
