French Ligue 1 title contenders RC Lens on Monday objected to the potential rescheduling of their top-of-the-table clash with champions Paris-Saint Germain.
The two teams are due to meet on April 11, but that date became inconvenient for PSG after they thrashed Chelsea last week to set up a UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool. That tie is to be played on April 8 and 14, immediately before and after the scheduled Lens game.
The league has already granted PSG, the defending European champions, one postponement, for a match against Nantes that originally fell between the two Chelsea games.
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A source within PSG’s management on Monday said that they had officially requested the postponement.
On Monday evening, Lens, a point behind PSG who have the Nantes game in hand, responded to “the recent surge in public comments” with a statement of their own.
“Racing Club de Lens made it clear to Paris Saint-Germain from the very first inquiries that it did not wish to see this date changed,” the statement said. “Racing Club de Lens remains committed to fairness, clear rules, and respect for all involved. These are simple principles for fair and well-respected French football.”
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On Friday last week, after Lens beat Angers SCO 5-1, head coach Pierre Sage said the club had not asked for similar help earlier in the season and that PSG should not need it.
“We played a French Cup match on a Thursday and then we had to play on Sunday against Metz,” he said.
“I understand that having rest allows for better performance,” Sage said, but added that PSG “perform very well, they compete in many trophies, so they understand the constraints.”
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