Preview: Auxerre vs Strasbourg – prediction, team news, lineups

AJ Auxerre faces an increasingly fierce fight for survival this season, determined to secure their place in French Ligue 1. Their strenuous effort persists this Saturday as they host Strasbourg, a team with aspirations for European competition, at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps.

Les Diplomates have achieved only three home wins throughout the season. To maintain their hopes of avoiding relegation, they critically need to transform their home stadium into an impenetrable stronghold. Meanwhile, their guests arrive with entirely different goals, aiming to clinch a spot in European tournaments next season and solidify their consistent advancement in French football.

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Game Overview

Having secured merely two victories across their last 20 Ligue 1 encounters, Auxerre is deeply entangled in the relegation struggle, contending with Nantes and Metz. Nevertheless, a glimmer of hope persists for Christophe Pelissier’s squad, as they currently hold the relegation play-off position and are still close enough to reach outright safety.

Their season has been relentlessly challenging since its start, a pattern underscored by last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Lorient on the road. This result signifies only one loss in their previous five games and an unbeaten streak in their last three away fixtures, a run highlighted by a vital 3-1 triumph over struggling Metz last month.

AJA stands as the lowest-scoring team in the top division this campaign, managing only 19 goals. However, a recent improvement, with five goals scored in their last three appearances, brings fresh hope for Pelissier’s side, especially after a goalless January spell was broken by a three-goal haul away at Metz in February.

Amongst the teams fighting relegation, and even when compared to the two clubs just above them, Auxerre claims the most robust defensive performance, having allowed just 35 goals and achieving five clean sheets. This tally surpasses Metz and Nantes (who each have four) and outdoes Nice (with three).

Nonetheless, Auxerre’s recent track record against Saturday’s adversary, Strasbourg, is less than promising. They have suffered six losses in their last seven encounters, including a string of four consecutive defeats. Their most recent success was a 1-0 home win in August 2022. Despite this, over 54 competitive matches since 1979, Auxerre maintains a slight historical advantage, with 21 victories, 14 draws, and 19 losses.

Strasbourg approaches this weekend’s encounter against relegation-threatened Auxerre with a surge of renewed confidence, stemming from their midweek triumph in the Coupe de France quarter-final against Stade de Reims on Tuesday.

This achievement signifies their 20th victory across all competitions this season, marking their highest win count in a Ligue 1 campaign since the 1996/97 season when they secured 26 wins, thereby emphasizing their prowess in multi-competition performance.

Despite reaching that impressive milestone, their league performance has been erratic, registering only three wins in their last 12 fixtures. While they remain undefeated in their last three appearances, only one of those contests concluded in a victory — a decisive 3-1 home win against Olympique Lyon.

With 10 matches left and currently five points shy of the UEFA Europa League and Conference League qualification places, Gary O’Neil’s team urgently needs to regain consistent form and string together a series of wins to fulfill their aspiration of competing in Europe once more.

Their away performance has likewise been underwhelming this season, yielding three wins, three draws, and six losses on the road. Their last away triumph occurred in January, a commanding 4-1 victory over Lille at the Decathlon Arena Pierre Mauroy Stadium.

For Le Racing, there’s an encouraging record: they have claimed victory in two of their last three trips to the Stade Abbe-Deschamps and are undefeated in their last four encounters against Auxerre.

Auxerre Ligue 1 form:

Strasbourg Ligue 1 form:

Strasbourg form (all competitions):

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Team Updates

Auxerre will be missing Nathan Buayi-Kiala, who is out with a cruciate ligament tear. Lasso Coulibaly is recovering from a minor injury, and Francisco Sierralta made his comeback last weekend against Lorient after overcoming a muscle issue.

Romain Faivre, currently on loan from Bournemouth, continues to be unavailable due to an ankle injury and is anticipated to be absent once more. Oussama El Azzouzi’s participation is also questionable, suffering from a hamstring strain.

Regarding the visiting side, Sam Amo-Ameyaw and Maxi Oyedele rejoined the squad on Tuesday. However, Emanuel Emegha remains sidelined due to a muscle fibre tear.

Diego Moreira, Valentin Barco, and ex-Chelsea and Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell are all on the verge of suspension, having each amassed four yellow cards this season, meaning another booking would lead to their absence.

O’Neil implemented four changes for the Reims match, introducing Lucas Hogsberg, Chilwell, Gessime Yassine, and Sebastian Nanasi instead of Andrew Omobamidele, Samir El Mourabet, Moreira, and Julio Enciso. Nonetheless, players such as Moreira and Enciso might be reinstated into the starting XI for the visit to Auxerre.

Auxerre possible starting lineup:

Leon; Senaya, Diomande, Okoh, Mensah; Owusu, Danois, Casimir, Oppegard; Namaso, Sinayoko

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:

Penders; Doue, Doukoure, Omobamidele, Chilwell; El Mourabet, Barco; Moreira, Enciso, Godo; Panichelli

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We say: Auxerre 1-1 Strasbourg

Auxerre, having only recently returned to Ligue 1 for the last two seasons, is fiercely battling to retain their place in the top division and is expected to pose a formidable challenge to their adversaries as the season concludes. Concurrently, Strasbourg’s bid for European qualification ensures that this match will be a captivating encounter.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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