PSG seek domestic postponement for Liverpool tie as Lens fight to keep original date | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain have formally approached the Ligue de Football Professionnel to request the postponement of their upcoming Ligue 1 match against Lens as they prepare for a crucial Champions League quarter-final.

The French league authorities have received the request from PSG to move the fixture, which is currently scheduled to be played on April 11 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

The request comes because the match falls between PSG’s two-legged quarter-final clash with Liverpool in the Champions League.

PSG will host Liverpool at the Parc des Princes on April 8 before travelling to Anfield for the second leg on April 14.

Playing a major domestic fixture between those two games has prompted the Paris club to ask the LFP to rearrange the match.

The clash between PSG and Lens is widely considered the biggest remaining league game of the season.

PSG currently sit at the top of Ligue 1, but Lens are only one point behind in second place, although the Paris side still have a game in hand.

Lens are pushing to win their first French league title since 1998 and strongly oppose any move to postpone the match.

The northern club believe a change in schedule could disrupt the competitive balance at a decisive stage of the title race.

Lens head coach Pierre Sage made the club’s position clear after his side’s recent win over Angers.

“We do not agree,” Sage said when asked about the possibility of the match being moved. “We also had a French Cup match scheduled on a Thursday and then had to play again on Sunday, so we know what a tight schedule looks like.”

Lens remain involved in multiple competitions themselves and will host Toulouse in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France later in April.

That fixture congestion could make it difficult to find a suitable new date for the league match if it is postponed.

Despite Lens’ objections, the final decision lies with the LFP, which often considers the interests of French clubs competing in European competitions.

The governing body has previously allowed domestic fixtures to be rearranged in similar circumstances.

PSG benefited from such a decision earlier in the Champions League campaign when their league match against Nantes was postponed to give them additional preparation time for a European tie.

That move sparked criticism from Nantes supporters, who later faced a congested schedule after the game was rearranged.

The LFP has also confirmed that Strasbourg have requested the postponement of their Ligue 1 match against Brest because it falls between their UEFA Europa Conference League fixtures.

League officials will now review PSG’s request before announcing whether the Lens match will remain in its current slot or be moved to a later date.