PSG get their way! Champions League holders handed advantage ahead of Liverpool quarter-final tie as hugely controversial postponement request granted

The LFP Administration Council has unanimously voted to postpone PSG’s domestic fixture against RC Lens, originally scheduled for April 11. This decision ensures that Luis Enrique’s side will have a completely clear week to focus on their two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool, which takes place on April 8 and April 14.

The ruling comes as the reigning European champions look to defend their crown against the Premier League giants. By removing a high-intensity league game from the calendar, the French authorities have ensured their flagship club remains in peak physical condition for the continent's biggest stage. 

"At the request of Paris Saint-Germain and RC Strasbourg, in order to best prepare for their respective UEFA Champions League and UEFA Conference League quarter-finals, the LFP Board of Directors unanimously decided, without the clubs involved, to postpone the matches RC Lens – Paris Saint-Germain and Stade Brestois – RC Strasbourg, counting towards Matchday 29 of Ligue 1 McDonald’s, to Wednesday, May 13," LFP said in a statement.

"These decisions are in line with the Board of Directors’ strong strategic objective of enabling France to maintain its fifth place in the UEFA coefficient rankings, which grants four places in the UEFA Champions League. These two decisions are accompanied by a proposal made to RC Lens to adjust its schedule to bring forward the RC Lens-FC Nantes match (Matchday 33) to Friday, May 8, should Paris Saint-Germain qualify for the UEFA Champions League semi-finals."

While the decision is a victory for PSG’s European ambitions, it has been met with vocal opposition from Lens. This was no ordinary mid-table fixture, but a potential title decider between the top two teams in France. Lens currently sit just one point behind the leaders, and they were eager to test themselves against the champions at the original time.

In their official release, Lens expressed their complaints about the schedule change, stating: " It appears to us that a worrying sentiment is taking hold: that of a French league gradually being relegated to the status of a mere variable to accommodate the European ambitions of certain parties. This is a peculiar conception of sporting fairness, one that is difficult to find parallels in other major continental competitions."

"Changing the date of this match today would mean that Racing Club de Lens would be deprived of competition for 15 days, followed by matches every three days—a schedule that corresponds neither to the one established at the start of the season, nor to the resources of a club that could absorb this type of new constraint without consequence."

"Beyond this specific case, the question raised is more fundamental: that of the respect due to the competition itself. It is legitimate to question this when, on its own soil, the league sometimes seems relegated behind other ambitions, however legitimate they may be. Racing Club de Lens remains committed to fairness, clarity of rules, and respect for all stakeholders. Simple principles, for a fair and respected French football."

After the international break, PSG will return to Ligue 1 action against Toulouse, followed by a Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool. Les Parisiens remain top of the league table, having played one game less than their rivals.