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Second-toughest draw for Lens in Champions League return

Back in the Champions League, RC Lens has drawn a formidable group: Manchester City, Liverpool and Leipzig are among its opponents. According to Opta, the Sang et Or received the second-most difficult schedule of the 36 clubs competing in the league phase.

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Second-toughest draw for Lens in Champions League return
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RC Lens returns to the Champions League with a particularly demanding calendar: according to Opta’s calculations, the Sang et Or have inherited the second-most difficult draw among the 36 clubs in the league phase, behind just one other participant.

The Artois club, managed by Dino Toppmöller, will notably face Manchester City at home and travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool — two of the favorites from pot 1. While even more formidable opponents existed in that pot (Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern Munich), Lens also drew Leipzig (pot 3) and Como (pot 4), which considerably weighs on their overall prospects.

Here is the complete schedule for Lens in the league phase:

RC Lens – Manchester City

Liverpool – RC Lens

Club Bruges – RC Lens

RC Lens – Sporting Portugal

RB Leipzig – RC Lens

RC Lens – Bodo/Glimt

RC Lens – Como

Slavia Prague – RC Lens

In this context, qualification for the knockout rounds would represent a genuine achievement. Florian Thauvin and his teammates will need to dig deep to make their mark in a group where there is virtually no room for error.

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