Resuming their quest for the obligatory Ligue 1 title, Paris Saint-Germain head north to take on Lens at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Sunday.
Luis Enrique's side have already marched to Trophee des Champions and Coupe de France successes in 2024, while their hosts are out to avoid a third successive loss in all tournaments.
Lens were only denied title glory by a solitary point last season, but 12 months later, Haise's men are fighting an uphill battle to even retain their European status, and one avenue to continental competition for 2024-25 has already been closed off.
Indeed, despite fighting back from 2-0 down to force penalties in their Coupe de France third-round battle with Monaco on January 7, Lens failed to hold their nerve from 12 yards, as while a quintet of Merlus penalties flew into the net, no fewer than four players fluffed their lines.
Lens' premature cup exit succeeded a dampening 2-0 loss to Nice - who have taken on the role of PSG's closest challengers amid the hosts' current predicament - and Haise's side enter gameweek 18 sitting seventh in the table, five points outside the top four.
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