Preview: Auxerre vs. Angers - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by three places in the Ligue 1 table, third-bottom Auxerre welcome Angers to Stade de l’Abbe-Deschamps in Sunday’s 32nd round, aiming to make one final push to leave the relegation playoff spot.

Les Ajaistes are five points behind 15th-placed Nice and need to end their four-match winless run to bolster fading hopes of avoiding a post-season playoff to retain their top-flight status.

Match preview

A cursory look at the win-loss table shows that Auxerre have lost just one of their last five Ligue 1 fixtures, after suffering six defeats in the previous 11.

However, Christophe Pelissier’s men have secured only one win during that period, which has created some distance from second-bottom Nantes, but not enough to steer clear of danger.

Heading into this weekend, the 16th-placed Ajaistes are five points clear of Nantes, but they are as many points adrift of Nice, despite the 15th-placed side earning only three points from their last five games.

With only nine points left to play for, Auxerre need to turn draws into wins in the final three games to have a realistic chance of overtaking the team above them in the table.

That also requires Nice to fail to win any of their final three matches of the regular season, including a head-to-head meeting between the two sides in the campaign’s penultimate weekend.

Before looking ahead to next weekend’s meeting with Nice, though, Auxerre must first take care of business against Angers, who appear to be on the proverbial beach as the season concludes.

Nine points separate this weekend’s visitors from the hosts, mathematically meaning Le SCO are far from home and hosed in the battle to avoid slipping into the relegation playoff spot.

Still, Alexandre Dujeux’s team are unlikely to slip that low in the final weeks of the season, with Le Havre and Nice the more likely sides to drop to 16th if Auxerre pick up any form in gameweeks 32, 33 and 34.

That situation possibly explains why Angers have won just one of their last 10 top-flight matches, suffering seven defeats in that period.

The ongoing run of results has followed what was a positive start to February, which saw Les Noirs et Blancs secure back-to-back wins in Ligue 1 for the third time in 2025-26.

However, the decline in form since those wins over Metz and Toulouse leaves Angers second-bottom, having earned just five points from a possible 30, a tally better than only Metz’s three.

It is unlikely to prove fatal to their prospects of losing their top-flight status, but a stronger start to next term is imperative to avoid beginning 2026-27 on the back foot.

Auxerre Ligue 1 form:

Angers Ligue 1 form:

Team News

Auxerre will likely miss Donovan Leon due to a thigh injury, Oussama El Azzouzi because of a knee problem, and Nathan Buayi-Kiala as well for a knee issue, while they will assess Fredrik Oppegard’s rib problem.

Although no player has scored as many as Lassine Sinayoko’s eight for the hosts, he may need to end the campaign strongly after scoring just twice in his last five appearances.

Danny Namaso has shown the necessary game-changing ability for Les Ajaistes this term, scoring three and setting up as many, even if he has to offer more than one goal contribution in five to provide much-needed assistance to Sinayoko in the season’s denouement.

The visitors have Carlens Arcus (groin), Yassin Belkhdim (arm), Harouna Djibirin, Marius Courcoul and Marius Louer all sidelined with injuries.

With Sidiki Cherif at Fenerbahce, Angers have had to rely on Prosper Peter to carry the goalscoring burden, and he has come up trumps of late, finding the back of the net twice in his last three games to take his tally for the campaign to five.

Auxerre possible starting lineup:

De Percin; Senaya, Diomande, Okoh, Mensah; Danois, Owusu; Faivre, Namaso, Casimir; Sinayoko

Angers possible starting lineup:

Koffi; Bamba, Biumla, Lefort; Raolisoa, Belkebla, Capelle, Van den Boomen, Ekomie; Peter, Sbai

We say: Auxerre 2-1 Angers

While Auxerre have not exactly been convincing of late, they remain the more motivated side heading into this weekend’s meeting and should fancy their chances against vulnerable visitors.

Angers could still make things awkward, but a narrow success for the home side seems a reasonable call.

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