Ligue 1 | Gameweek 13

Dec 1, 2024 at 4pm UK

Stadium de Toulouse (Toulouse)

Toulousevs.Auxerre

Match preview

Toulouse will be disappointed not to have taken at least a point against PSG. They created four big chances, one more than the Ligue 1 champions.

After the match, the team's boss, Carles Martinez, shared his thoughts on the defeat, saying: "It's a bit of a mixed feeling because we knew how to create chances and as the minutes went by, we thought 'why not equalise?' We had to equalise. But when we went ahead by two and three goals, it was a real challenge because we were pushing at that point. "We're not happy."

Just three of the division's 18 clubs have scored fewer than Les Violets' 13 goals, but their record of 14 conceded is the sixth best defensive return in the top flight.

Martinez deserves a lot of credit for getting his side in such good form. They've won three and drawn one of the last four matches, and kept three clean sheets in that period.

Toulouse have had a bit of a mixed run at home recently, winning two, drawing one and losing one of their last four games at the Stadium de Toulouse.

The visitors had to deal with a lot of time without the ball in the second half because they only had 45% possession. They ended up winning thanks to a goal from Hamed Traore in the 93rd minute.

Auxerre head coach Christophe Pelissier thinks his team can qualify for European football, especially given they're level on points with sixth-placed Lyon, who currently occupy Ligue 1's Conference League qualification spot. They're also just three points from the division's fourth-placed Champions League playoff spot.

AJA have scored 21 goals and conceded 19, making them the fourth best offensive and seventh worst defensive team in Ligue 1.

Pelissier's team have been on a roll recently, going five games without a loss and winning four of them.

However, despite their strong overall form, the visitors have lost four and drawn one of their six away games this season, but they've been unbeaten in their last two.

Recent Performance

Toulouse Ligue 1 form:LDWWWL

Auxerre Ligue 1 form:LWDWWW

Team News

The hosts will be without centre-back Rasmus Nicolaisen, but he is scheduled to return early next month.Guillaume Restes will definitely be starting in goal, and he could be protected by centre-backs Mark McKenzie, Charlie Cresswell and Umit Akdag.

It looks like Cristian Casseres Junior and Vincent Sierro will be starting in midfield, while Zakaria Aboukhlal, Yann Gboho and Joshua King could be chosen to lead Toulouse's attack.

In other news, Auxerre right-back Ange Loic N'Gatta is out until late December, while forward Lasso Coulibaly isn't scheduled to make his comeback from a cruciate ligament injury until May 2025.

We can expect Pelissier to field a back three featuring Gabriel Osho, Jubal and Clement Akpa in front of goalkeeper Donovan Leon.

Elisha Owusu and Kevin Danois could play together in midfield, with Gaetan Perrin, Hamed Junior Traore and Lassine Sinayoko up front.

Possible starting lineup

Toulouse possible starting lineup:

Restes; McKenzie, Cresswell, Akdag; Kamanzi, Casseres Junior, Sierro, Donnum; Aboukhlal, Gboho, King

Auxerre possible starting lineup:

Leon; Osho, Jubal, Akpa; Hoever, Owusu, Danois, Mensah; Perrin, Traore, Sinayoko