Can David Pereira Da Costa’s return to form help Lens get over European heartbreak? | OneFootball

Lens face AS Monaco on Sunday in their return to domestic action after their exit from the Europa League in heartbreaking fashion against Freiburg. David Pereira Da Costa was one of the scorers against the German side, culminating a rise to his best run of form in a Lens shirt this season, can he help le Sang & Or bounce back?

Da Costa is a Portuguese midfielder who rose through the ranks of Lens’ youth academy after joining the club in 2020. Despite elimination from the Europa League, the 23-year-old is currently going through his best period of form, coming after several painful months filled with doubt and injury.

He proved decisive last season against Olympique de Marseille, where Da Costa struck a wicked deflected shot past Pau Lopez to hand Lens a vital 1-0 win. After that important victory for Les Lensois, Da Costa was unable to impose himself further for a high-flying Lens side - and then injuries in the start of this season complicated matters further for the young midfielder.

Yet, since the turn of 2024 things have been looking positive for the Portuguese youth international. After Franck Haise entrusted Da Costa to start in five matches at the start of the year, he managed to perfectly set up his side for their first win of the year with a goal against Toulouse (2-0), kicking off a run of three Ligue 1 matches in a row where he found the back of the net (against Nantes and then Strasbourg). He then scored the goal to put Les Lensois ahead against Freiburg in their Europa League knockout play-off second leg clash. It would ultimately come in vain as Lens’ German opponents would pull off a come-back in the second half to eliminate the Northern side from Europe.

Haise: "He has an ability to nullify and create imbalances that our other playmakers don't necessarily have"

"I'm pleased for him, because he knows that there are areas in his development where he needs to be more present, particularly in attacking the last line of defence,” says manager Franck Haise. “He has an ability to nullify and create imbalances that our other playmakers don't necessarily have," Haise points out. “When I put him back in the starting line-up, I'm not a good manager if I don't give him time, even when his performances aren’t the best. Now he's sending out positive signals.”

After elimination from European competition comes another test, this time in the race for European qualification next season. Lens face Monaco at Stade Bollaert in Sunday’s early kick-off with only two points separating the two sides, where Da Costa and his teammates will be hoping to bounce-back domestically.