Crystal Palace’s latest official Como Cup guide has turned the RC Lens opener into more than a standard pre-season date for Pierre Sage.
The club’s profile of Lens, published on 25 June, underlined the personal edge around Sage’s first summer at Palace. Lens finished second in Ligue 1 under the new Eagles manager last season and lifted the Coupe de France before his move to Selhurst Park.
Palace had already confirmed that Sage’s side will open Group A against Lens at 18:00 BST on Tuesday, 28 July. They then face FC Famalicao at 19:30 BST in the same evening’s 45-minute format, with all games live on Palace TV+.
Sage Gets A Sharp Doucouré Check
The detail that matters for Palace is Cheick Doucouré. The official Lens guide noted that Doucouré came through the French club’s system and made 115 league appearances there before joining Palace in 2022.
That gives the fixture a second reunion strand. For Sage, it is a first public test against the side he just left. For Doucouré, it is a neat early marker in a summer when Palace need evidence that their midfield depth can survive domestic, cup and European demands.
A previous Read Crystal Palace Como Cup piece framed Lens as Sage’s immediate tactical reunion. The fresh club guide sharpens the player angle: Palace’s new manager gets a compressed look at a midfielder whose full fitness would change the recruitment conversation.
With every Palace match streamed live on Palace TV+, that 45-minute opener now carries genuine selection value. It is not just Sage against his old club. It is also a first summer check on whether Doucouré can become one of the stabilisers in Palace’s busiest campaign for years.
