Ligue 1 action this Saturday night will take place at the Stade de l'Abbe Deschamps, where Auxerre will play high-flying Marseille.
Auxerre's home form is now the only thing keeping them out of relegation danger, therefore this matchup will feature one of Ligue 1's top home teams against one of the greatest away teams.
No team in Ligue 1 has a greater gap than Auxerre this season, with 20 points won at home and just five away, while Marseille is among the few teams with more points earned away from home.
Marseille’s home form has been relatively underwhelming, earning just 19 points at the Velodrome compared to an impressive 27 on the road—matching Paris Saint-Germain for the best away record in the league.
However, home advantage was in full effect last weekend when OM delivered a dominant 5-1 victory over Saint-Etienne, securing their third consecutive league win.
That emphatic result saw Roberto De Zerbi’s squad reach the 50-goal mark for the season, making it their most prolific attacking campaign since 1970-71, when they also netted 50 goals in their first 22 matches.
Marseille became just the fourth club in the 21st century to hit this milestone so early in a Ligue 1 season, helping them establish a six-point cushion over Nice and Monaco in the standings.
While De Zerbi may have conceded that catching PSG—who currently hold a 10-point lead—is unlikely, securing automatic Champions League qualification in his debut season would still be a significant achievement.
OM have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 outings, accumulating 26 points during that stretch. With no cup or European commitments, their sole focus is on solidifying their position in second place.
Meanwhile, Auxerre will be eager to avenge their 3-1 defeat at the Velodrome in November, which remains their only away victory of the season so far.
That leaves Christophe Pelissier with the opportunity to become just the second AJA manager to complete a league double over Marseille, after the legendary Guy Roux, who achieved this feat during the 1987-88 season.
Auxerre, however, will need to end their current 10-game winless run if they are to succeed in this objective. This streak marks their worst run of results in 13 years, raising concerns about their form.
Despite the winless stretch, many of these matches have ended in draws, as Auxerre remain unbeaten in their last nine home games. However, they have drawn each of their last five home fixtures, and only once before in their history have they drawn six in a row, a record set back in 2010.
Pelissier's side also drew last weekend on the road, dropping two points away at Brest. In an entertaining four-goal thriller, they threw away the lead twice, highlighting both their resilience and vulnerabilities.
While newly-promoted Auxerre currently sit in 12th place, maintaining a comfortable gap above the relegation zone, they now find themselves a significant distance from the European places. This is a stark contrast to earlier in the season when they appeared to be challenging for a spot in the continental competitions.
