Preview: Auxerre vs Paris Saint-Germain - prediction, team news, lineups

Second best faces second worst in Friday's Ligue 1 battle at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, where Auxerre welcome reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.

The hosts will temporarily climb out of the bottom two with victory on January 22, while Luis Enrique's men need just a point to reclaim top spot, at least for a matter of hours.

Match preview

A far cry from the team that achieved a respectable 11th-placed finish in the 2024-25 season - following their triumphant Ligue 2 campaign the year before - Auxerre's brief stay in the big time is in serious jeopardy.

Christophe Pelissier's men endured a woeful end to 2025 and have failed to turn a corner in 2026 too, losing each of their last three Ligue 1 games to Lille, Brest and Lens, in addition to being knocked out of the Coupe de France by Monaco.

Auxerre put up a strong fight at the home of league leaders Lens last time out, but a second-half Wesley Said strike condemned AJA to an excruciating 1-0 loss, one that left them in a lowly 17th place in the Ligue 1 table.

Pelissier's men only lead basement side Metz on goal difference, but the hosts are only two points worse off than Nantes, whom they can leapfrog into the relegation playoff spot with a statement success over the champions.

That may be easier said than done, but Auxerre can take solace in the fact that 10 of their 12 points this season have been won at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, although the hosts have also received a jaw-dropping five red cards on their own turf this term.

Both Auxerre and PSG have won the majority of their points on home soil in 2025-26, and Les Parisiens' setbacks on the road have contributed to the reigning champions finding themselves in unchartered territory - second place.

The capital giants have already dropped points in five Ligue 1 games this term, but they have been on the winter warpath after a few autumnal failings, winning each of their last four top-flight matches and notching 13 goals along the way.

Enrique's men ensured that they would remain within one point of table-topping Lens with a 3-0 success over Lille - thanks in no small part to an Ousmane Dembele brace - and a draw on Friday would suffice for first place before Les Sang et Or's crunch clash with Marseille on Saturday.

However, Les Parisiens suffered another miserable away day in Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League defeat to Sporting Lisbon, leaving them with just two wins on the road from their last six matches, during which time they have also kept just one clean sheet.

Enrique's men also fell short on Auxerre's turf last term - playing out a 0-0 stalemate with their upcoming hosts - but they prevailed 2-0 at the Parc des Princes earlier this term and are unbeaten against AJA since 2011.

Auxerre Ligue 1 form:

Auxerre form (all competitions):

Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form:

Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):

Team News

Auxerre will be blessed with a double selection boost for the visit of the champions, as first-choice left-back Gideon Mensah and midfield regular Elisha Owusu are both back from yellow-card suspensions.

Former Watford defender Francisco Sierralta (unspecified) and midfielder Nathan Buayi-Kiala (ACL) are both on the treatment table, but the hosts are otherwise in good shape and could hand a full debut to Bournemouth loanee Romain Faivre.

The Cherries-owned playmaker joined AJA for the remainder of the season just last week and made his debut as a second-half substitute in the loss to Lens, replacing ex-Crystal Palace midfielder Naouirou Ahamada.

On PSG's end, Joao Neves (unspecified), Lee Kang-in (thigh) and Matvey Safonov (hand) are on the treatment table, while Fabian Ruiz was substituted because of an injury against Sporting.

Enrique did not go into specifics when discussing the Spaniard in his post-game press conference, but Warren Zaire-Emery could be a like-for-like midfield replacement if Achraf Hakimi returns from the Africa Cup of Nations in time for the weekend.

Scorer of a sensational curler off the bench in midweek, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will have his eyes on Bradley Barcola's spot on the left-hand side.

Auxerre possible starting lineup:

Leon; Sy, Akpa, Diomande, Senaya, Mensah; El Azzouzi, Ahamada; Faivre; Namoso, Sinayoko

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Chevalier; Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Beraldo, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Mayulu; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia

We say: Auxerre 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain

Away days have been the bane of Enrique and co this term, and an Auxerre side who can turn up the heat at home will aim to capitalise on the champions' continental fatigue.

Pelissier's men have shown little to suggest that they can do a number on PSG, though, and we have faith in Les Parisiens to right their midweek wrongs in professional fashion.

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