Languishing outside the Champions League's top 24, Lens will aim to move level with Como when they meet at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Wednesday night.

Following their historic defeat of Manchester United, the Italian debutants have put six points on the board, while their hosts only have three and lie below the playoff zone.

Match preview

Since Lens started their fourth Champions League campaign with a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Slavia Prague, the French club have come away empty-handed from their subsequent fixtures.

Les Sang et Or were first beaten 2-0 at home by Sporting Lisbon, then suffered another defeat on their travels, going down 3-0 to Club Brugge.

Remarkably, 16 games and some 28 years have now passed since they last kept a clean sheet in the Champions League.

Lens returned to Europe's top table by finishing second in Ligue 1 last term but, after a slow start, new boss Dino Toppmoller swiftly made way for Yannick Cahuzac. 

Though Toppmoller's former assistant started positively with three straight league wins, his side were beaten by their bitter local rivals last time out.

With a late Olivier Giroud goal, Lille snatched victory in the 125th Derby du Nord on Friday night, leaving Lens ninth in the French top flight.

Now, Cahuzac's side must try to respond with maximum points, as they surely need at least two more wins from five remaining Champions League matches.

Como took one step closer to the knockout phase last month, thumping Manchester United 4-1 on a memorable night at Stadio Sinigaglia, where main man Nico Paz bagged a brace.

Regardless of United's dire state, that marked an incredible achievement for a club promoted back to Italy's top tier only two years earlier - and they were down in Serie D as recently as 2019.

Expertly led by Cesc Fabregas, 10 goals from their first three games is the best haul of any debutant in UEFA's elite competition since 1973 - and each one has been scored from open play. 

Paz and top scorer Tasos Douvikas already have five Champions League strikes between them, and the pair have been even more productive in Serie A, with 11 goal involvements combined.

Since losing 3-2 to Feyenoord on matchday two, Como have embarked on a streak of five consecutive wins across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and conceding just three.

New France cap Lucas Da Cunha was decisive from the spot in Sunday's 1-0 victory against rock-bottom Venezia, taking the Lariani up to a club-record tally of 23 points from their opening 10 games.

Now occupying fourth place - where they finished last term - Como are closely in touch with Italy's current top three, and few would rule them out of the Scudetto race.

Lens Champions League form:

Lens form (all competitions):

Como Champions League form:

Como form (all competitions):

Team News

Lens will be missing several men on Wednesday, with defensive duo Ismaelo Ganiou and Maik Nawrocki joining forwards Abdalllah Sima and Odsonne Edouard on the sidelines.

The latter has undergone surgery for an adductor injury and could be ruled out until 2027, so Franjo Ivanovic is expected to lead the home side's attack.

Still struggling with a hamstring problem, Ecuadorian wing-back Jhoanner Chavez is also a doubt.

While veteran playmaker Florian Thauvin has created the most chances across the Champions League's opening three matchdays (15), Como star Paz has been directly involved in five goals. 

Douvikas has scored in all three of the Lariani's league-phase appearances, so they are both integral parts of the Fabregas plan.

The Catalan coach will still be without Moise Kean, Trevoh Chalobah, Jesus Rodriguez and Assane Diao due to injury, while Jayden Addai is a major doubt.

Sometimes rotated with Chelsea loanee Robert Sanchez, goalkeeper Jean Butez recently replaced Robin Risser of Lens in the France squad.

Lens possible starting lineup:

Risser; Aguilar, Baidoo, Todibo; Abdulhamid, Cuisance, Haidara, Udol; Thauvin, Sotoca; Ivanovic

Como possible starting lineup:

Butez; Smolcic, Kempf, Ramon, Valle; Perrone, Ricci; Da Cunha, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas

We say: Lens 1-2 Como 

Although the sample size is small, Como tend to start sharply in Europe, having scored first - and during the first half - in all three of their Champions League matches.

The Lariani also possess a potency that Lens simply cannot withstand, so they will move up to nine points and leave their hosts stranded on three.

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