Lens vs Como: a test of Italian control and the hosts’ European response

The contrast is grounded in three results apiece. Lens won 3-2 away to Slavia Prague, then lost 2-0 to Sporting CP and 3-0 at Club Brugge. Como beat Leipzig 4-1, fell 3-2 to Feyenoord and defeated Manchester United 4-1. UEFA’s record gives Como ten goals and Lens three. Those totals explain the pressure on the French side, but they do not settle how a first meeting between these teams will unfold.

• Competition: 2026/27 UEFA Champions League, league phase Matchday 4.
• Match: RC Lens vs Como 1907; Lens are at home.
• Kickoff: Wednesday, November 4, at 21:00 CET in France; 20:00 UTC.
• Venue: Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens, France.

Lens have an opening to change the pattern

Lens lost the northern derby 1-0 at Lille on October 30. Olivier Giroud scored in the 86th minute after goalkeeper Robin Risser had kept the visitors in contention. Lens’ own match report describes Saud Abdulhamid getting a chance from Florian Thauvin’s pass before halftime. It also records that the side had beaten Paris FC 2-1 six days earlier. The Lille defeat ended a three-game winning run in Ligue 1; it did not erase the work that produced it.

The European record is less forgiving. Lens conceded five times without scoring across the Sporting and Brugge matches. Against Lille, they began with three centre-backs, advancing wing-backs and Thauvin in an attack that also included Thorgan Hazard and Florian Sotoca. UEFA’s projected XI for Wednesday instead has Franjo Ivanović as the forward. That projection is a guide to possible roles, not a confirmed team. Whether Lens can push their wide players forward while protecting the space behind them is a more useful question than guessing the starting lineup.

Thauvin can provide the pass between the lines or carry the ball after a turnover; Abdulhamid and Matthieu Udol offer width. Those routes matter against a Como side that tends to fill central passing lanes. They also carry a cost: if Lens commit both wing-backs and lose the ball, Como’s attacking midfielders may find room before the back three can reset. The hosts need their midfielders close enough to turn a clearance into an attack, rather than leaving Ivanović or another forward alone.

Como can win with patience as well as pace

Como beat Venezia 1-0 on November 1 for a fourth consecutive Serie A victory. The club reported 23 points after ten league matches. Lucas Da Cunha converted a penalty won by Anastasios Douvikas, while Nico Paz and Martin Baturina also started. Como’s report describes long spells on the ball and a patient search for space. It was a narrow result, but it showed a different route to victory from the four-goal European performances.

Against Manchester United, Paz scored twice, Douvikas got his third Champions League goal and Ramon headed in another. For the second goal, the club describes Da Cunha, Baturina and Paz combining before the pass to Douvikas. That movement helps explain how Cesc Fàbregas’s team can break lines without relying on a single direct run: players rotate inside and the striker attacks once defenders shift.

Lens must decide where to challenge that circulation. A high press needs the front line and midfield, including Amadou Haidara and Michaël Cuisance if selected, to move together so Perrone or Milla cannot receive freely behind the first wave. A deeper block could give Paz and Da Cunha more time around the box. Como, meanwhile, must account for Thauvin’s ability to turn a recovery into a forward pass and for runs outside their full-backs. These are tactical possibilities based on recent matches, not a forecast of possession or score.

Availability before the final squads

UEFA’s projected-lineup guide, updated November 3 for its Fantasy game, lists the following absences and one doubt. It is not a club medical bulletin or a final match squad. Playing at the weekend does not itself confirm availability for Wednesday.

RC Lens

• Odsonne Édouard: listed as out with an adductor problem in UEFA’s provisional guide.
• Ismaëlo Ganiou: listed as out with a knee problem in the same guide.
• Abdallah Sima: listed as out with a thigh problem in the same guide.
• Doubts: UEFA lists no players in this category; Lens have yet to announce a final squad for Como.

Como 1907

• Assane Diao: listed as out with a hamstring problem in UEFA’s guide.
• Moise Kean: listed as out with a shin problem in that guide.
• Trevoh Chalobah: listed as doubtful with a muscular problem; that is neither a confirmed absence nor clearance to play.

Without Édouard and Sima in UEFA’s projection, Lens may have to draw more on Ivanović and support from behind the striker. Douvikas won Como’s penalty against Venezia and scored against United, though his place on Wednesday remains Fàbregas’s decision. The squads announced nearer kickoff will provide the firmer answer.

How to watch Lens vs Como

• Venue: Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens, France.
• Date and time: Wednesday, November 4, 21:00 CET; 20:00 UTC.

United States

• Time: Wednesday, November 4, 3:00 p.m. EST / noon PST.
• TV: the match-specific Paramount+ listing does not name a linear channel.
• Streaming: Paramount+ confirms live coverage of Lens vs Como for U.S. subscribers.

Australia

• Time: Thursday, November 5, 7:00 a.m. AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne; 6:00 a.m. AEST in Brisbane; 4:00 a.m. AWST in Perth.
• TV: Stan Sport’s match listing does not name a linear channel.
• Streaming: Stan Sport lists the game live, with coverage from 6:55 a.m. AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne, five minutes before kickoff.

United Kingdom

• Time: Wednesday, November 4, 8:00 p.m. GMT.
• TV: TNT Sports lists Lens vs Como on TNT Sports 6.
• Streaming: TNT Sports also lists the match on HBO Max.

There is a simple points swing at stake: a home win would bring Lens level with Como on six; an away win would move Como six points clear of Lens. The larger question is whether the visitors can keep linking their midfield and attack under pressure, and whether Lens can turn its moments of recovery into the goals missing from its last two European matches.