🏏 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 20:45 CEST
AJ Auxerre
vs
Angers SCO
4-3-3 vs 4-2-3-1
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Two sides still without a point meet after opening-day defeats. Auxerre were beaten 5-2 away at Lens and sit 18th with a goal difference of -3, while Angers lost 2-0 at home to Lille and are 16th at -2. Positions harden quickly at this end of Ligue 1, so a first win of the season matters to both.
- The team that beat Angers, Lille, now lead the division on four points from two games. Angers failed to score in that opener and must find a way through a defence that shipped five on its own first outing. For Auxerre, this is their first home fixture of the campaign and a chance to reset after Lens.
- Karlens Arcus returns to a former club. The 30-year-old Haiti international right-back spent time at Auxerre and has since built a border-crossing career taking in Lille, Troyes, Cercle Brugge in Belgium and Vitesse in the Netherlands. He starts on the right of the Angers back four, combining dependable defending with forward runs.
- The tale of the tape is unusual. Auxerre's goal is guarded by Mamadou Diop, a 26-year-old Senegalese keeper who stands 204cm and worked his way up through the French lower divisions with clubs such as Grenoble. Angers answer with 197cm Mali international Ousmane Camara, 23, at centre-back, so both penalty areas will be contested by giants.
- Auxerre's front three in a 4-3-3 has genuine pedigree. Danny Namaso, the 26-year-old Cameroon international on the left, came through Reading's academy and produced 14 goals and 10 assists for Porto's first team, cutting inside on his right foot. Romain Faivre, a 28-year-old left-footed attacking midfielder whose form at Brest earned a 15 million euro move to Lyon, is currently on loan from Bournemouth.
- The Auxerre midfield mixes promise with mileage. Kevin Danois, 22, is a Guadeloupe-born academy graduate who has regulated the middle since his 2023 professional debut and carries one of the highest valuations in the squad. Nahuel Ahamada, 24, arrived from Crystal Palace after being schooled at Juventus and playing for Stuttgart and Rennes, while 186cm Belgian Arthur Piedfort, 21, adds physical presence.
- Angers build through Branco van den Boomen. The 188cm Dutchman is on loan from Ajax, helped Toulouse win Ligue 2 and takes the set pieces thanks to the quality of his delivery. Alongside him, 24-year-old Yassin Belkhdim joined the Angers academy from FC Mantois and led the club for assists in 2025-26.
- The Angers wingers took opposite routes to Ligue 1. Antony Belmont, 21, is a Lens academy product who was named Ligue 2 young player of the 2024-25 season on loan at Annecy and cuts in from the left on his right foot. Jim Allevinah, the 31-year-old Gabon international on the other flank, climbed from the eighth tier of French football to turn professional at Clermont and featured at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
- Experience in goal favours the visitors. Anthony Lopes, 35, spent around a dozen seasons as Lyon's first choice and was part of Portugal's Euro 2016 winning squad, with close-range shot-stopping his hallmark. Auxerre have 32-year-old Paul Nardi, a Monaco academy product with spells at Gent, Lorient and QPR, waiting on the bench.
- Youth is prominent on both teamsheets. Auxerre hand a starting berth to 18-year-old centre-back Elikya Legros, partnering Ivory Coast international Sinaly Diomande, 25, who made 72 appearances for Lyon. Angers name 16-year-old defender Mael Jernigon, born in 2009, alongside 19-year-old striker Prosper Peter and 19-year-old Cameroonian forward Aluna Djibrine among their substitutes.