Back
CLUB BRUGGE host Lens in a huge Champions League clash tonight.
Nicolo Tresoldi scored a fabulous hat-trick as the Belgian side overcame Inter Milan 4-3 in a thriller last week to win their first European game of the season.
Lens have had mixed results in the Champions League so far after losing 2-0 to Sporting last week, though they did stage a late comeback to beat Slavia Praha in the first week of action.
SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS
Follow all the action below with our LIVE blog…
The assistant referee raises his flag to penalise the German for offside, halting Forbs’ pass intended for Tresoldi, who scored a hat-trick against Inter in his previous outing.
Club Brugge are finding it hard to get a foothold as Lens call the shots.
Can they carve out the next goal attempt?
POST!
Another chance for Lens!
Ivanovic drifts in from the left side of the box before curling a right-footed effort toward goal, but it rattles the upright!
You cannot get much closer than that!
SAVE!
Hazard wins a free kick 25 yards from goal and steps up to take the set piece himself, but Sommer comfortably parries the effort away.
The former Inter goalkeeper was hardly troubled there.
It has been a slow opening at Jan Breydelstadion with the match yet to properly ignite, though Lens hold the upper hand in possession with 52%.
The hosts launch an attack through Forbs, who picks out Sabbe on the overlap down the right.
But Sabbe miscues his cross, slicing it straight out for a goal kick.
Club Brugge and Lens square off in the Champions League for the first time since at least the 2004-2005 season.
Which of the two teams will come out on top on Wednesday?
At Jan Breydelstadion, referee Luis Miguel Branco Godinho sounds his whistle to get the first half underway!
VS
Both teams are waiting in the tunnel ahead of a prompt kick-off in Bruges.
Historical stats show that out of 23 Champions League encounters between Belgian and French clubs, Belgian sides have managed just five wins, drawing six and losing 12.
Remarkably, Club Brugge account for the last three of those victories, which includes a pair of wins in the 2025-26 campaign.
Following a defeat on matchday two, Yannick Cahuzac makes three changes to his side.
Michal Skoras, Ruben Aguilar, and Thorgan Hazard come into the starting XI, replacing Kyllian Antonio, Florian Thauvin, and Ismaelo Ganiou.
Leko makes a single alteration to the starting line-up for the hosts, with Felix Lemarechal coming in for Hugo Vetlesen.
Meanwhile, Brandon Mechele reaches a landmark 50 appearances for Club Brugge in the European Cup and Champions League, following only teammate and club captain Hans Vanaken.
On the bench for Lens: Regis Gurtner, Nidal Celik, Andrija Bulatovic, Florian Sotoca, Yacine Titraoui, Florian Thauvin, Odsonne Edouard, Mathieu Gorgelin, Jean-Clair Todibo, Souleymane Sagnan, Kyllian Antonio and Mezian Mesloub.
Here is how Lens line up in a 3-4-2-1 shape: Risser; Udol, Baidoo, Aguilar; Skoras, Haidara, Cuisance, Abdulhamid; Kadile, Hazard; Ivanovic.
On the bench for Club Brugge: Lee Han-Beom, Hugo Vetlesen, Cheveyo Tsawa, Romeo Vermant, Nordin Jackers, Matteo Dams, Milan Robberechts, Hugo Siquet, Mamadou Diakhon, Andrej Vasovic, Argus Vanden Driessche and Tian Nai Koren.
Club Brugge starting line-up (4-3-3): Yann Sommer; Joaquin Seys, Brandon Mechele, Jorne Spileers, Kyriani Sabbe; Hans Vanaken, Freddie Potts, Jan Virgili; Felix Lemarechal, Carlos Forbs, Nicolo Tresoldi.
The visitors head into this fixture following a 2-0 loss against Sporting CP at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Luis Suarez and Issa Doumbia netted either side of the break for the Portuguese outfit, leaving Lens 21st in the league standings.
Having beaten Slavia Prague 3-2 in their initial away outing in the Champions League this term, they could secure successive away victories in the competition for the first time.
Club Brugge head back into the Champions League following their thrilling 4-3 victory against Inter at San Siro on matchday two.
Ivan Leko’s team owe their famous win to a Nicolo Tresoldi hat-trick, leaving them 20th in the standings.
The hosts will be confident heading into Wednesday, having suffered just one defeat in five Champions League home fixtures against French opposition this century (W2 D2) — that sole loss being a 0-5 reverse against Paris Saint-Germain in October 2019.
Welcome along to our live coverage from the Jan Breydelstadion as Club Brugge and Lens face off in this UEFA Champions League league-phase contest.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Scores Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Scores Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.