Overview
Completely opposite to the commendable achievement of finishing 11th in the 2024-2025 season - right after the successful promotion campaign in Ligue 2 - Auxerre's future in the highest league in France is facing a serious threat.
Coach Christophe Pelissier's team closed 2025 with a series of disappointing results and could not escape the crisis in the early 2026 period. Auxerre lost all 3 recent rounds in Ligue 1 to Lille, Brest and Lens, and was also eliminated from the French National Cup by Monaco.
In the past round, AJA played very hard on the home field of league leaders Lens. However, Wesley Said's only goal in the second half caused them to suffer a bitter 0-1 defeat, thereby falling to 17th place in the Ligue 1 standings.
Pelissier's team is currently only ranked above the bottom team Metz thanks to goal difference, while the gap with Nantes - the team currently in the relegation play-offs - is only 2 points.
However, Auxerre still has reason to hope when 10 out of the 12 points they have won this season come from their home stadium Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps. However, AJA's home record also has a downside, as they have received up to 5 red cards here since the beginning of the season.
In the opposite direction, both Auxerre and Paris Saint-Germain earned most of the points at home in the 2025-2026 season. The stunts when playing away from home contributed to PSG - the defending champion - falling to second place in the rankings.
The capital team has lost points in 5 Ligue 1 matches this season, but their form has improved significantly in the winter. PSG has won all 4 recent rounds in the domestic league, scoring a total of 13 goals.
Coach Luis Enrique's team has narrowed the gap with league leaders Lens to only one point after a 3-0 victory over Lille, in which Ousmane Dembele scored a double.
However, Les Parisiens continued to show an unstable face away from home when losing to Sporting Lisbon 1-2 in the Champions League in the middle of the week. That was their fourth away defeat in the last 6 matches in all competitions, and PSG only kept a clean sheet once during this period.
Last season, Enrique's army was held to a 0-0 draw by Auxerre at Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps. However, they won 2-0 at Parc des Princes in the first leg this season and are unbeaten against AJA since 2011.
Personnel situation
Auxerre will be given more strength when left-back Gideon Mensah and key midfielder Elisha Owusu return to the squad after suspension for receiving enough yellow cards.
In the opposite direction, former Watford defender Francisco Sierralta (injury undetermined) and young midfielder Nathan Buayi-Kiala (previous ligament severed) are still in the treatment process. However, in general, the home team's force is not too seriously affected.
On PSG's side, Joao Neves (injury unknown), Lee Kang-in (knee injury) and goalkeeper Matvey Safonov (arm injury) are all being treated. In addition, Fabian Ruiz was also forced to leave the field due to injury in the defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League in the middle of the week.
In the post-match press conference, Luis Enrique did not disclose details of the Spanish midfielder's condition. However, Warren ZaIre-Emery is considered a suitable replacement in midfield.
Expected lineup:
Leon, Sy, Akpa, Diomande, Senaya, Mensah, El Azzouzi, Ahamada, Faivre, Namoso, SEko.
Chevalier, Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Beraldo, Mendes, Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Mayulu, Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.
The match between Auxerre and PSG takes place at 2:00 AM on January 24 (Vietnam time).
