FC Barcelona vs RC Lens Tickets

In terms of achievements racked up by these two teams, especially when it comes to European club honours, this fixture is a little one-sided, to say the least.

FC Barcelona, five times winners of the competition, take on RC Lens, who, as of 2023, had never made it out of the group stage, with the French side only qualifying for the tournament on three occasions.

Catalan giants Barcelona took part in the European Cup on just five occasions prior to the competition’s re-brand, during which time their arch-rivals Real Madrid had won it no less than six times.

Barcelona’s first foray into the competition actually saw them lose to Real Madrid in the Semi-Finals in 1959/60, and it was Los Blancos that emerged victorious, winning the tie 6-2 over the two legs.

They overcame this setback to reach the final the following year, but on this occasion, they lost the final to Benfica, 3-2 in Bern. Another final loss came in 1986, this time to Steaua Bucharest; after a nervy 120 minutes without a goal, the Romanians won on penalties.

On their fifth effort in the European Cup, they finally secured the trophy. Johan Cruyff’s side beat Sampdoria in extra-time courtesy of a Ronald Koeman free-kick, meaning FC Barcelona had won the last edition of the tournament prior to its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League.

Cruyff guided the side to another final in 1994, but on that occasion, they were unceremoniously thrashed 4-0 by AC Milan.

2005/06 saw Frank Rijkaard’s side overcome a deficit to defeat Arsenal in Paris, albeit the North London side had been down to ten men for much of the match. A young player by the name of Lionel Messi missed that game through injury but had a major hand in the club’s three subsequent victories in the competition.

2009 was Pep Guardiola’s first Champions League success as Barcelona coach, his side easing past Manchester United 2-0 in Rome and then repeated the feat in 2011 with a 3-1 Wembley success over Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

In 2014/15, with Luis Enrique now in charge, Barcelona put in perhaps their most commanding series of performances during the earlier rounds, where they beat Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich before having little trouble beating Juventus 3-1 in the Final.

RC Lens first qualified for the UEFA Champions League in 1998/99 but failed to qualify from a group that included Panathinaikos, Arsenal, and Dynamo Kyiv. They had an even tougher group in 2002/03 alongside AC Milan, Bayern Munich, and Deportivo La Coruna and once again didn’t make it through to the knockout phases.

FC Barcelona vs RC Lens Head-to-Head

Barcelona and RC Lens have never met in European competition, which makes this tie all the more attractive.

FC Barcelona vs RC Lens Connections

A few players have played for both sides, including Mali international midfielder Seydou Keita, who played at Lens for five years prior to a move to Sevilla, which led to his arrival at Barcelona in 2008. The adaptable midfielder made 188 appearances for the La Liga side over four seasons, helping the club to three domestic league titles and two UEFA Champions League crowns.