Newly-promoted Auxerre travel to the Stade Oceane to face Le Havre in Ligue 1 on Sunday evening.

The two enter the weekend side-by-side in the standings, with one win and one loss apiece after two matches.

Match preview

© Imago

In what has so often been a Ligue 2 fixture in recent years, Le Havre and Auxerre meet in the top flight for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

Both sit on three points, with Le Havre only ahead of Auxerre courtesy of goals scored, with the two currently on minus-one goal difference.

After an opening day defeat to champions Paris Saint-Germain, Le Havre will be happy with how they responded last weekend.

The 4-1 loss to PSG was slightly harsh, but Didier Digard's men made up for that by beating another newly-promoted outfit in Saint-Etienne by two goals to nil.

Backing up that win with another on home soil will be essential if Le Havre want to look up the table this season, instead of over their shoulder, which they spent much of last season doing.

However, the Sky and Navy did not win back-to-back matches at any point last season, and have not done so in Ligue 1 for 16 years.

Taking just 32 points from their 34 matches last season might have seen them relegated in a different season, but Le Havre survived on their return to the top flight and are looking to kick on under new boss Digard.

Historically though, Auxerre are a bogey team for Le Havre, as they have only ever recorded three Ligue 1 wins over their upcoming opponents in 28 meetings.

When the two met more recently in Ligue 2 though, the hosts enjoyed far more success, especially at home, going on a nine-game unbeaten run over Auxerre - winning seven - before their visitors ended that run in their last meeting just over two years ago.

Auxerre won promotion last season as second-tier champions, and made the perfect start, with Lasso Coulibaly's injury-time strike sealing three points over Nice.

They were brought crashing back down to earth instantly a week ago though, as Christophe Pelissier's men suffered a 2-0 defeat at Nantes - with an early second-half red card to Ado Onaiwu not helping matters.

AJA still have the opportunity to break a near two-decade duck here though, as a victory would see them win two of their first three Ligue 1 games for the first time since 2005 - when they went on to finish sixth.

Auxerre are a much different side now to the one that often competed for European positions and were crowned French champions in 1996 though, and this is set to be a close encounter.

Team News

Le Havre have retained the services of Antoine Joujou on a season-long loan after the club sold the attacker to Parma earlier this week, and he should start in a likely unchanged side.

Yanis Zouaoui was the club's only non-teenage signing this summer, and he played a starring role in the win at Saint-Etienne a week ago playing behind Joujou as a left wing-back.

Andy Logbo remains out for the hosts with an ACL injury, and is joined on the treatment table by Yoni Gomis and Christopher Operi.

Auxerre will be without attacker Onaiwu after he was shown a straight red card at Nantes last week, so Bournemouth loanee Hamed Junior Traore could come in for a debut.

Another Premier League loanee made his full debut at Nantes, as Ki-Jana Hoever was thrown straight in at the deep end following his move from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

A serious knee injury suffered in training this week will see Coulibaly, the match winner against Nice, sidelined for several months, joining Clement Akpa, Ange Loic N'Gatta and Ousoumane Camara, who are also all currently out.

Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Desmas; Nego, Sangante, Youte Kinkoue, Lloris, Zouaoui; Kechta, Targhalline, Toure, Joujou; Sabbi

Auxerre possible starting lineup:
Leon; Joly, Jubal, Osho, Hoever; Perrin, Raveloson, Owusu, Sinayoko; Bair, Traore

We say: Le Havre 1-1 Auxerre

Last week's impressive away victory could set Le Havre up nicely after getting PSG out of the way early on matchday one.

Auxerre could do with a result going into the internationals, as Monaco are up next when they return, and two clubs with similar ambitions this season could share the spoils here.


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