RC Lens - Stade de Reims Friday at 21:00 CET (1900 GMT)

>> LIVE SCORING, STATS AND COMMENTARY

Fofana was immense for Les Sang et Or in their stirring 3-2 win away to Olympique de Marseille last weekend that saw them climb above Jorge Sampaoli’s side in the table. The 26-year-old skipper seemed to be everywhere on the pitch, his energy and drive helping inspire Franck Haise’s side to another famous victory, although he was remarkably modest at full-time.

“I am lucky to play alongside great players who allow me to shine,” he said in a television interview as he came off the pitch at the Orange Vélodrome. “I am here for the team. I try to give my best in every match and we want to keep getting better.”

Fofana is symbolic of everything Lens have done right since returning to Ligue 1 Uber Eats in the summer of 2020. The northern side had spent much of the previous decade in the doldrums but they were lucky to find themselves in the automatic promotion places in Ligue 2 when the 2019-20 campaign was brought to an early end because of the pandemic. They then invested very wisely in new signings and placed faith in Haise as coach.

The likes of Argentine centre-back Facundo Medina, flying wing-back Jonathan Clauss, Gaël Kakuta and Paris Saint-Germain loanee Arnaud Kalimuendo all played key roles last season and continue to do so alongside newer recruits like Przemysław Frankowski. The Polish international winger scored the winner in the northern derby against reigning champions LOSC a fortnight ago and followed that with a marvellous strike in Marseille.

Highlights: Lens beat Marseille in thriller

Fofana stands out though. The Paris-born midfielder was signed by Manchester City as a teenager but after loan spells at Fulham in the English Championship and in Ligue 1 with SC Bastia, he spent four years as a regular for Udinese in Serie A. He could perhaps have gone from there to a bigger club than Lens, but he recently revealed his contentedness at moving to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

“Honestly, as soon as I stepped into the training ground and we talked with the directors, I just had the right feeling. I was convinced we would have a good season and we almost qualified for Europe. That was my objective,” he told sports daily L’Equipe. “I saw they were serious and I didn’t see myself going anywhere else.”

Fofana now represents the Ivory Coast at international level but he was this week left out of French coach Patrice Beaumelle’s for upcoming World Cup qualifiers. “I contacted Seko Fofana but the player doesn’t want to come because he is prioritising his club,” Beaumelle was reported as saying.

Highlights: Ekitike brace against Nantes

Lens have lost just once in eight outings so far this season but that was in their last home game, a 1-0 defeat against RC Strasbourg Alsace. That match, perhaps not coincidentally, was played behind closed doors as a punishment following the crowd trouble that marred the derby against Lille.

Friday’s home meeting with Reims will also be played in an empty stadium, with a final disciplinary ruling on the incidents expected next week. In the meantime Reims will hope to take advantage of the lack of fans at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis as they chase a second straight win following their 3-1 victory at home to FC Nantes last time out, when the 19-year-old Hugo Ekitike came off the bench to score twice.

Austrian defender Kevin Danso can return after suspension for the home side. Andreaw Gravillon is banned for Reims while Moreto Cassama has been struggling with a foot injury. Valon Berisha, El Bilal Touré and Mathieu Cafaro are out.

What they’re saying

Franck Haise (Lens coach): “We know we are capable of doing more and more things. We are gaining experience and maturity as the games go by. The players have confidence in themselves, even in a stadium like Marseille. We are ambitious. Our main objective is to keep the club in Ligue 1 but there are other things we can aim for. We are second after eight games which is very good but we are not going to get carried away. Reims don’t give many chances away. They have good young players too. No doubt we will have new problems to deal with this weekend, especially playing in an empty stadium for the second straight home game. We need to be ready for that because it is always a different experience.”

Ilan Kebbal (Reims): “We wanted to get back to winning ways against Nantes after losing in Lille. That lifted us up the table and boosted our confidence. I don’t know if playing behind closed doors is an advantage. Lens have a great support and as a player you want to play in front of a crowd like that. Having supporters there is a source of motivation for players. Lens are full of confidence just now and so are we, so it should be a great game.”

Probable teams

RC Lens: Leca; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Clauss, Doucouré, Fofana (c), Frankowski; Kakuta; Sotoca, Kalimuendo

Stade de Reims: Rajkovic; Mbow, Faes, Abdelhamid (c); Foket, Munetsi, Matusiwa, Konan; Mbuku, Eikitike, Kebbal