🏏 Sun, 17 May 2026 21:00 CEST
Lille OSC
vs
AJ Auxerre
3-5-1-1 vs 4-3-3
Substitutes
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Match Preview
- The meeting of 3rd-placed Lille (61 points) and 15th-placed Auxerre (31 points) pits two teams in contrasting situations — the Champions League race and the survival battle. Lille, 12 points behind leaders PSG (73 points), have 2nd-placed Lens (67 points) in their sights and are in good form with 3 wins and 2 draws in their last five. Auxerre, four points from safety in a tough spot, are nonetheless on the up after back-to-back wins.
- In the first meeting on Matchday 16, Lille won a 3-4 shootout at Auxerre. Around four months on from that seven-goal thriller, the rematch comes at Lille. Lille won 1-0 away at Monaco last time out and Auxerre beat Nice 2-1, so both sides arrive with winning momentum.
- Lille's veteran striker Olivier Giroud is named on the bench. The 38-year-old is France's all-time leading scorer (137 caps) and a 2018 World Cup winner. Having moved through Arsenal, Chelsea and Milan, his weapons are hold-up play and heading off his 193cm frame, and he has also broken Lille's oldest-scorer record.
- Lille line up in a 3-5-1-1 with Iceland international Haraldsson as the No.10 and Fernandez-Pardo up front. Auxerre counter in a 4-3-3, with Danny Namaso, Seko Mara and Lassine Sinayoko forming the front three. Sinayoko in particular scored against Nice last time out and is riding a wave of momentum.
- In defence, Lille's Algeria international centre-back Aissa Mandi and Auxerre's Ghana international left-back Gideon Mensah are the key players. Mandi has a wealth of international experience, while Mensah's strength is attacking contributions using his pace. How well the defensive lynchpins of both sides can stifle the opposition's attack will be key.
- Lille have a potent attack with 52 goals in 33 games, and their defence is also solid, conceding 35. Auxerre, by contrast, have struggled at both ends with 32 scored and 44 conceded. Still, Auxerre are on a winning run — 3-1 against Angers and 2-1 against Nice recently — putting up a desperate fight for survival. Lille, to nail down a Champions League place, will want to avoid slipping up at home.