Newly-promoted Auxerre will look to continue their phenomenal start to the Ligue 1 season when they face Lens in the final matchday of 2024 on Saturday.
The hosts held champions Paris Saint-Germain here at the Stade de l'Abbe Deschamps last weekend, extending an incredible run of form on home soil this year.
Match preview
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The dream return for Auxerre in Ligue 1 continued last weekend, when a Donovan Leon-inspired performance helped them to a 0-0 draw with PSG.
Even going into that game, Christophe Pelissier's side had won four of their last six, and last week's draw leaves them eighth, just three points off upcoming opponents Lens, who occupy the final European place.
PSG were far from the first team to suffer frustration at the Stade de l'Abbe Deschamps in 2024, as Auxerre have lost just one of the 17 home games they have played here this year.
A 3-0 loss to Monaco was that sole defeat, and PSG became only the second team to actually avoid losing at this venue across Auxerre's last 12 games.
Lens are a team who love to frustrate their opponents too, though, and Auxerre are looking to avoid losing back-to-back home games against them for the first time in the top flight here.
Pelissier also does not have the most favourable of records against Lens, having lost five of his seven career meetings as a manager against them.
In order to improve on that underwhelming record, the Auxerre boss could go more offensive compared to last week's clash with PSG, seeking to avoid a third straight game without a goal since January 2023, when they were relegated.
Will Still's men enter the weekend off the back of consecutive 2-0 wins over Reims and Montpellier, meaning they could win three in a row without conceding for the first time in almost two years.
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With most of the top seven in excellent form, though, it has restricted Lens' ability to move up the table, so it is important they finish 2024 strongly on the road.
The Parc des Princes is the only away venue where they have lost this season in seven matches, going some way to explain why they are just three points off the top four.
Being tough to beat early in the campaign helped to ensure they will be European candidates, but after five straight draws between September and October, the Blood and Gold have now not drawn any of their last seven games - winning four and losing three.
That is a more beneficial set of results than continuously drawing, and the gap to the top four could be tightened if Still can continue the club's fine record against Auxerre; they have lost just two of their last 21 meetings.
Team News
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Pelissier is likely to pick an unchanged team after an impressive performance to shut PSG out here last weekend.
Ange Loic N'Gatta, Ousoumane Camara and Lasso Coulibaly remain the trio out injured for the hosts, and have all now been missing for a few months.
Auxerre keeper Leon will feel on top of the world heading into this clash, as he was awarded a 10 rating by L'Equipe for his performance against PSG last weekend, one of biggest accolades a footballer in France can receive.
While the hosts may be slightly more offensive, Lens could look a tad more defensive this weekend, with Still likely to bring Jhoanner Chavez in at left wing-back in place of one of the many attacking players who started against Montpellier.
Wesley Said made his return after five games out injured, being brought on for the final 30 minutes in that 2-0 win over the bottom-of-the-table side.
Martin Satriano, Jimmy Cabot and Ruben Aguilar are still sidelined though, with Deiver Machado a doubt after not being involved in any capacity last weekend.
Auxerre possible starting lineup:
Leon; Osho, Jubal, Akpa; Hoever, Owusu, Danois, Mensah; Perrin, Sinayoko, Traore
Lens possible starting lineup:
Samba; Danso, Khusanov, Medina; Frankowski, Thomasson, Diouf, Jhoanner Chavez; Labeau Lascary, Nzola, Zaroury
We say: Auxerre 1-1 Lens
It may have been a while since Lens' peculiar drawing streak, but this is a very tough game to call on paper, with little to separate the sides in the table, and the hosts enjoying a superb run of form at home.
Four games without a win in this fixture suggests it will be far from easy for the hosts to maintain that incredible home record across 2024, but they are more than capable of getting a result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
