PSG vs Auxerre

Parc des Princes is the venue as runaway Ligue 1 leaders PSG entertain promoted Auxerre in their final league outing ahead of the World Cup break.

PSG eked out a 2-1 win away to Ligue 1 surprise package Lorient last time out to put the fourth consecutive league win on the board and lock down top place until after the Christmas restart. Regardless of what happens in Paris, Christophe Galtier’s high-flyers will enter the break as Ligue 1 pacesetters following a sublime 14-game unbeaten start to their title defence (W12, D2). ‘Les Parisiens’ seem likely to keep their stellar domestic run intact as a topsy-turvy 4-3 win over Troyes in their most recent top-flight outing at the Parc des Princes took their unbeaten home streak in Ligue 1 to a whopping 28 matches (W24, D4). On top of that, PSG have gone unbeaten in 30 league encounters against promoted sides (W27, D3) since a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Montpellier in 2010.

In the meantime, Auxerre had to settle for a late 1-1 draw at Troyes last weekend as their season-long fight for survival continues to take blows week in, week out. The visitors have won only once in their ten previous Ligue 1 games (D3, L6), so it’s no wonder they languish just two points clear of the relegation zone at the start of this round. It gets worse on the road, with Auxerre picking up just one point from five away league matches (D1, L4) since a 2-1 win at Montpellier in August. But there’s an exciting piece of history that gives travelling fans a glimmer of hope over a potential upset, as ‘AJA’ haven’t lost any of their last four trips to take on reigning Ligue 1 champions (W2, D2).