Auxerre - Lens Tip 03-06-2023

Auxerre and Lens will collide this weekend as the Ligue 1 season comes to an end.

After a turbulent campaign, Auxerre have one final chance to preserve their Ligue 1 status. The good news from their perspective is that their destiny is in their own hands, and all they need to do is win at home and they’re safe. It sounds simple enough but any other result will open the door for Nantes to try and overtake them as we prepare for a blockbuster afternoon of action.

The form book showcases just how badly Auxerre have allowed things to get away from them in recent weeks. Since the end of April they’ve failed to win a single game with losses to Marseille, Brest and PSG, to run alongside draws with Clermont and Toulouse.

Lens have scratched and clawed every step of the way but unfortunately, it hasn’t quite been enough, as they failed to wrestle the Ligue 1 championship away from the grasp of PSG. They can be proud of their efforts, though, as well as the fact that they’ll be playing Champions League football next season, which is the kind of accomplishment fans were dreaming of.

Nobody can say Lens haven’t lived up to their end of the bargain in the title race. They’ve been winning games in every direction and since the end of April, they have defeated Monaco, Toulouse, Marseille, Reims, Lorient and Ajaccio.

Niang is set to remain out of action for this one with Owusu’s fitness being a question mark for Auxerre.

Cabot is listed as a fitness concern with Costa, Farinez and Fortes all out through injury for the visitors.

Auxerre are the ones who have something to fight for here but from a quality standpoint, there’s a clear gulf between the two. While Lens’ hopes of winning the title are over, we do still think they’ll want to go down swinging - which is why our formal prediction is that this will be a draw.