Within touching distance of a ticket to the Champions League knockout stages, Arsenal host Lens in their penultimate Group B fixture on Wednesday evening.
The Gunners have amassed nine points from four fixtures so far to open up an unassailable lead at the top of the standings and need only a point to assure themselves of a top-two finish.
Victory in North London would also see Mikel Arteta's men wrap up first place with a game to spare, while their Ligue 1 counterparts are currently occupying third place in the section with five points next to their name.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.
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Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 5
Arsenal wins: 2
Draws: 1
Lens wins: 2
Had Arsenal not fallen short at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in early October, they could very well be entering Wednesday's game having already confirmed a ball in the pot for the last-16 draw, as Gabriel Jesus's opening goal against Lens proved to be for nought.
Indeed, a fine Adrien Thomasson equaliser in the first half preceded a first-time Elye Wahi strike after the break as the Gunners suffered their first Champions League loss in over six years, and only their second from five previous meetings with Lens.
Given Les Merlus' lack of European nous in the 21st century, meetings between the two sides have been unsurprisingly sparse, and October's defeat marked a reunion between Arsenal and Lens 23 years after the clubs had locked horns in the semi-finals of the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup.
Arsene Wenger's men proved too strong for the Ligue 1 powerhouses on both occasions that year, as Dennis Bergkamp struck after just two minutes in a 1-0 first-leg win at Highbury, before Thierry Henry and Nwankwo Kanu propelled the Gunners to a 2-1 success across the English Channel; Arsenal would go on to suffer heartbreak against Galatasaray in the final, though.
Arsenal's two-legged beating of Lens in the second tier of European football represented their revenge for the 1998-99 Champions League group stage, where the two sides met in a competitive setting for the very first time, and the French outfit emerged with their pride intact on both occasions.
The clubs' inaugural meeting took place at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where Marc Overmars's opener was cancelled out by an injury-time leveller from former France international Tony Vairelles, and just over two months later in late November 1998, Arsenal lost 1-0 in London as Ray Parlour was given his marching orders.
As such, Arsenal are still without a top-level European win from three attempts against Lens, but that November 1998 encounter took place at Wembley Stadium rather than Arsenal's Highbury base, and Les Merlus are yet to experience a taste of the daunting Emirates atmosphere on a Champions League night.
Previous meetings
Oct 03, 2023: Lens 2-1 Arsenal (Champions League Group Stage)
Apr 20, 2000: Lens 1-2 Arsenal (UEFA Cup Semi-Finals)
Apr 06, 2000: Arsenal 1-0 Lens (UEFA Cup Semi-Finals)
Nov 25, 1998: Arsenal 0-1 Lens (Champions League Group Stage)
Sep 16, 1998: Lens 1-1 Arsenal (Champions League Group Stage)No Data Analysis info
