Aiming to extend their unbeaten run to three matches, Auxerre will welcome Europe-chasing Rennes to Stade de I'Abbe Deschamps on Sunday afternoon in Ligue 1.
AJA secured a share of the spoils at the home of Lyon last time out, whilst Les Rouge et Noirs managed a narrow success over Le Havre on home soil.
Match preview
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After securing an immediate return to the top table of French football following a title-winning campaign during 2023-24 in Ligue 2, Auxerre are on a quest to cement their status as a top-flight club for at least another term, and that mission has commenced positively during the opening months.
Since returning from a 3-1 loss on the road prior to October's international break, AJA have enjoyed a short-term unbeaten streak, snatching maximum points off Reims on October 20 before playing out a four-goal thriller with Lyon last Sunday.
A brilliant brace from Georgia international Georges Mikautadze twice put Auxerre behind in the contest, but the visitors to Groupama Stadium fought back valiantly courtesy of second-half efforts from Sinaly Diomande and Hamed Traore.
Approaching the harsh winter months, AJA are currently occupying 13th position in the early Ligue 1 standings, three points ahead of Saint-Etienne in the relegation-playoff spot and already six points better off compared to bottom side Montpellier HSC.
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Following a four-game winless run in Ligue 1 - during which time they collected a mere two points - Rennes managed a much-needed maximum last Friday night, when strugglers Le Havre were the visitors to Roazhon Park and failed to return to Stade Oceane with anything tangible for their efforts.
Despite dominating possession and creating the majority of the clear-cut chances, Les Rouge et Noirs were forced to settle for the single-goal victory last time out, with a second-half strike from Colombian winger Andres Gomez proving enough for success.
Recording their third league victory from nine contests last weekend, Rennes moved up to 11th in the Ligue 1 table, three points behind sixth-placed Reims, who currently lie in the Conference League qualification spot.
A hit during his debut campaign of 2023-24 following a high-profile move across top-flight battlelines from Nantes, Ludovic Blas is looking to repeat the trick this term, with the attacker providing five goal contributions across nine Ligue 1 appearances so far.
Team News
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Auxerre remain without the services of Gabriel Osho, with the former Luton Town man sidelined until the end of November due to a knee injury.
As a result, AJA have limited options in their backline ahead of Sunday's home clash, meaning that youngster Clement Akpa is set to retain his place the central-defensive trio.
Playing two Ligue 1 matches at the beginning of the term, midfielder Lasso Coulibaly suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Due to yellow-card accumulation, Rennes will be unable to call upon the talents of Alidu Seidu this weekend, meaning that the visitors will require a new face at right-back.
Hoping for a breakthrough campaign in a top European league this season, 20-year-old Henrik Meister is battling back from a bruised knee and will play no part on Sunday.
Auxerre possible starting lineup:
Leon; Diomande, Jubal, Akpa; Hoever, Raveloson, Owusu, Mensah; Perrin, Traore, Bair
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Hateboer, Wooh, Ostigard, Truffert; Blas, Kamara, Gomez, Gronbaek, Jota; Kalimunedo-Muinga
We say: Auxerre 1-2 Rennes
Earning a highly-respectable point at Lyon last time out, Auxerre should be looking to earn maximum points in front of their home faithful this weekend.
That being said, visitors Rennes possess an abundance of attacking quality which could turn out to be too much for the newly-promoted outfit to handle on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
