Auxerre vs Angers – News and Probable Lineups

In the Ligue 1 standings, Auxerre find themselves three spots from safety as they prepare to host Angers at Stade de l’Abbe-Deschamps this Sunday in the 32nd round, looking to make a final effort to escape the relegation playoff zone.

Les Ajaistes are trailing by five points from 15th-placed Nice and must break their run of four winless matches to revive their dwindling chances of avoiding a post-season playoff to stay in the top tier.

Match overview

A quick glance at the win-loss records reveals that Auxerre has suffered just one defeat in their last five Ligue 1 matches, having previously endured six losses in the prior 11 fixtures.

Despite this slight improvement, Christophe Pelissier’s side has managed only one victory in that span, providing some distance from second-bottom Nantes, but not enough to guarantee safety.

As they approach the weekend, the Ajaistes in 16th place are five points ahead of Nantes, yet they are also five points behind Nice, who have gathered a mere three points from their last five fixtures.

With only nine points remaining to contest in the final three matches, Auxerre must convert any drawn matches into victories to have a realistic prospect of surpassing the team directly above them.

This also necessitates that Nice does not manage to win any of their remaining games, including a direct encounter between the two teams in the penultimate weekend of the season.

While looking ahead to their upcoming match against Nice, Auxerre must first focus on defeating Angers, who seem to have laid back as the season reaches its conclusion.

A nine-point gap exists between the visitors and the hosts, indicating that Le SCO is not completely secure from the threat of falling into the relegation playoff position.

Nevertheless, Alexandre Dujeux’s team is not expected to drop that low in the remaining weeks of the season, as Le Havre and Nice seem more likely to be relegated to 16th place if Auxerre manages to find form during gameweeks 32, 33, and 34.

This situation may clarify why Angers has recorded only one victory in their last 10 top-flight matches, suffering seven defeats along the way.

This poor stretch has come after a promising start in February, where Les Noirs et Blancs achieved consecutive wins in Ligue 1 for the third time in the 2025-26 campaign.

However, their decline since victories over Metz and Toulouse has dropped Angers to second-bottom, having gained a mere five points from a possible 30—better only than Metz’s three points.

While this is unlikely to be catastrophic for their chances of maintaining top-flight status, they must start next season strongly to avoid beginning the 2026-27 campaign on a negative note.

Team News

Auxerre is likely to be without Donovan Leon due to a thigh injury, Oussama El Azzouzi with a knee issue, and Nathan Buayi-Kiala who is also suffering from a knee problem, while they will be evaluating Fredrik Oppegard’s rib injury.

No player has matched Lassine Sinayoko’s eight goals for the hosts, yet he will need to finish the season strongly after scoring just twice across his last five matches.

Danny Namaso has demonstrated the ability to change the game for Les Ajaistes this season, contributing three goals and as many assists, although he will need to increase his contributions in the season’s final phase.

The visitors will miss Carlens Arcus (groin), Yassin Belkhdim (arm), Harouna Djibirin, Marius Courcoul, and Marius Louer due to injuries.

With Sidiki Cherif at Fenerbahce, Angers have had to depend on Prosper Peter to carry the goal-scoring responsibilities, and he has delivered recently, scoring twice in his last three encounters, bringing his season total to five.

Auxerre probable starting XI:

De Percin; Senaya, Diomande, Okoh, Mensah; Danois, Owusu; Faivre, Namaso, Casimir; I don’t know

Angers probable starting XI:

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

While Auxerre has not been particularly convincing recently, they are the more motivated side heading into this weekend’s fixture and may feel confident against a vulnerable Angers.

Angers could complicate matters, yet a narrow win for the home team seems plausible.