Auxerre vs Lille

Auxerre’s ambitious pursuit of an unlikely European finish in Ligue 1 continues at the Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps with an exciting contest against Lille.

December couldn’t have ended soon enough for Auxerre, considering they failed to win all four Ligue 1 matches last month (D2, L2). A 2-0 defeat to second-tier outfit Dunkerque in the Coupe de France added insult to injury, derailing Auxerre’s spirits following an impressive start to their first top-flight campaign in two years. The impending home return should re-establish confidence in Christophe Pellisier’s corner, considering his men have only lost one of their eight league outings at the Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps this season (W5, D3). Indeed, 17 of their 24 Ligue 1 points this season have come on this ground. That’s largely thanks to their impenetrable backline. Auxerre’s seven goals conceded on home turf this season is only worse than PSG (6) and Rennes (5). 

Meanwhile, Lille squandered a halftime lead in a dismal 1-1 home draw against relegation-threatened Nantes in their curtain-raising 2025 Ligue 1 fixture, perhaps losing crucial ground on leaders PSG. However, a top-three finish remains a distinct possibility for ‘Les Dogues’ as they trail third-placed Monaco by only two points amid a promising-looking 12-game unbeaten Ligue 1 run (W5, D7). Bringing other competitions into the equation, Bruno Genesio’s men are unbeaten in their last 18 matches (W10, D8). Therefore, they’re one game away from equaling the club’s longest-ever undefeated streak. It’s hard to bet against Lille to achieve that feat, considering they’ve only lost once on eight Ligue 1 road trips this season (W3, D4). But it’s worth noting that their last three away league matches ended all square.