- Team form: Auxerre are in fine form with 4 wins and 1 defeat in their last 5 matches in all competitions, while Le Mans have won only 1 of their last 5, drawing 1 and losing 3.
- Table position: A.J. Auxerre are 12th on the Ligue 1 2026/2027 table after 7 games with 9 points, 3 ahead of 16th-placed Le Mans with 6 points from 7 games.
Auxerre have a lot going for them
A.J. Auxerre should be the favorites to win this weekend's game against Le Mans FC at Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, but their advantage should not be overestimated, given Les Manceaux have a solid, well organised shape.
Tactics and style
Will Still has moulded Auxerre into a high-intensity, high-press team that plays a vertical 4-3-3 formation and is set up to score goals and concede plenty. It's worked pretty well so far this season with AJ Auxerre 12th in Ligue 1 2026/2027 after seven games, while their home record of 2 wins and 1 defeat from three is solid.
Recent form and key players
Auxerre bounced back from a 4-1 away defeat to Stade Rennes FC, with a 3-1 success at Le Havre AC last time out, and Cameron Archer should be the main danger man for them again on Sunday. The Australian has three of the club's six goals in their last five matches, but this is a game in which a draw wouldn't be a disaster.
Manceaux’s midfield is strong and resilient
Le Mans, who sit 16th in the table, are chasing their first Ligue 1 2026/2027 away win after 1 draw and 2 defeats from three attempts. They have lost three in a row now after a 3-1 away loss to Paris Saint-Germain FC and 0-3 home defeat by FC Toulouse, so confidence isn't high for this trip.
Tactics and personnel
Patrick Videira has built them into a compact, pragmatic unit that can be very tough to break down at times, but they can be vulnerable to the counter-attack on the break.
Our recommendation is to take the favourites at 2.1, but we do realise that Le Mans have it in them to get a result because they won't be exposed as easily as the odds suggest.
This should be a match-up between a high-press and low-block, so under 2.5 goals at 2.05 looks like it could fit the action as the two teams tussle in a tactical battle.
- Adil Bourabaa is their key player up front with three in five, including two of their five goals in the last five.
- Videira's men have scored four goals in three away Ligue 1 2026/2027 fixtures so they will sniff out any chances they get, although Auxerre's home defence has conceded 4 in 3 matches in Ligue 1 2026/2027 at a rate of 1.33 per game.
