Luis Javier Suárez looks to keep his hot streak alive against a French side, this time on the road

Every time Luis Javier Suárez has faced a French opponent in the Champions League, he's ended up celebrating. Two games, two wins, two goals of his own on the scoresheet. Now it's time to see whether that formula still works away from Lisbon, because this Tuesday the striker from Santa Marta visits Lens at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, at 11:45 a.m. (Colombian time), for the second matchday of the league phase.

There's a detail that adds some extra intrigue: this will be the first time Suárez plays away from home in France in this competition. His two previous meetings with French clubs came at home, in Lisbon, and both were settled by the same scoreline: 2-1. The first was in October 2025, when he played all 90 minutes against Olympique de Marseille. Then, in January 2026, he scored a brace against none other than PSG, who arrived as the reigning European champions.

Will history repeat itself on the road? That's the challenge at hand.

A Sporting side that hasn't won in France in 16 years

Because if there's something complicating the picture, it isn't Suárez's form, it's Sporting's own recent history away from home on French soil. According to the club's records, the Portuguese side has made ten trips to France in European competitions, with a record of two wins, three draws and five losses. The last time they won there was back in September 2010, with a 2-1 victory over Lille in the Europa League group stage. Nothing since then.

Their most recent visit didn't leave a good taste either: in October 2022, Sporting fell 4-1 to Marseille in the Champions League group stage. The contrast with how they perform at home is striking, since in Lisbon the team has strung together wins against Lille, Marseille and PSG, no less. Now they need to carry that solidity across the border. In the overall historical balance against French clubs in Europe, Sporting has 12 wins, five draws and eight losses.

Suárez arrives on a scoring streak

Suárez, meanwhile, just keeps rolling. After scoring with the Colombian national team during the last FIFA date, he also made his presence felt in the Portuguese league: he scored in the 66th minute in a 3-1 rout of Braga on October 9. That goal stretched his scoring streak with the Lisbon club to seven straight games, no small feat for a striker who's still settling into European soccer.

He carries that momentum into the matchup against Lens, a rival that also needs points to find its footing in the league phase. Suárez has a chance to keep up his scoring record against French clubs, though this time the setting is completely different: there's no Lisbon crowd behind him now, just a Bollaert-Delelis that tends to be a cauldron for any visiting team.

Anyone looking to follow the match can catch it on Disney+ Premium, this Tuesday, October 13, 2026, starting at 11:45 a.m. Colombian time.