Auxerre-Paris: A challenging trip to wine country

update on the table

With a total of 26 wins, three draws and six defeats after 35 league games, Paris Saint-Germain are at the top of the Ligue 1 table. The capital club now have 81 points, six ahead of second-placed Lens and eight ahead of Olympique de Marseille, who occupy the last place on the podium.

For their part, AJ Auxerre are experiencing a season of contrasting goals. Promoted to the top flight after beating AS Saint-Etienne in last season's play-off, Auxerre are aiming to stay in the top flight despite four teams being relegated to Ligue 2 this season. The Burgundy side are currently 16th in Ligue 1 so are the first time who won't be relegated as things stand. With 8 wins, 10 draws and 17 defeats, Christophe Pélissier's players have a total of 34 points. M'Baye Niang's team-mates are now just one point ahead of 17th-placed FC Nantes, who are in the relegation zone. The Yonne club are therefore close to the abyss, and with only three games left to play, tension is building. One thing is for sure, the Parisians will be facing a team ready to do anything to save their place in the top flight.

a look back at the first game

The two teams met on Macthday 15 of the league on 13 November. It turned out to be quite a one-sided game before focus was turned to the World Cup in Qatar. The Red and Blue won 5-0 in front of the Parc des Princes crowd. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring when he latched onto Nuno Mendes' first-time cross to score the first goal of the game (1-0, 11'). Gigio Donnarumma then proved decisive in the face of attempts by M'Baye Niang and Lassine Sinayoko.

In the second half, Carlos Soler doubled the lead with a header after more excellent work by Nuno Mendes (2-0, 51'). Before the hour mark, Achraf Hakimi put Paris in the clear by finishing off a counter-attack started by Soler (3-0, 57'). The Red and Blue continued their assault on the opposition goal and managed to add to their tally in the last ten minutes. Renato Sanches took advantage of Hugo Ekitike's good service to beat Benoît Costil (4-0, 80') before the latter recovered the ball at Julian Jeanvier's feet to score the last goal of the game (5-0, 84').

the opposition

In the last Ligue 1 Matchday, Auxerre lost by the smallest of margins at Stade Brestois 29 (1-0), in what was a decisive match in the race for survival. Before that, Gaëtan Perrin's team-mates had played out an encouraging 1-1 draw at home to a Clermont team that has been hard to beat in this final stretch of the season. A week earlier, AJA caused problems for Olympique de Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome, but the Burgundy side ended up losing (2-1).

After a very difficult start to the season under Jean-Marc Furlan and a 19th place finish in the Ligue 1 standings at the halfway point, the Auxerrois have subsequently managed to lift themselves out of the drop zone. The appointment of Christophe Pélisser at the end of October is not without significance in this quest for survival. Since the arrival of the French coach, Auxerre have accumulated 25 points in 23 games, an average of 1.09 points per game compared to 0.75 before. Above all, Paris are about to face a team with confidence at home, having not lost on their own turf for eight games despite hosting LOSC (1-1), Stade Rennais (0-0) and Olympique Lyonnais (2-1).

SERGIO RAMOS vs ISAAK TOURé

One represents experience, the other youth. But both Sergio Ramos and Isaak Toure are making their mark in their respective teams' central defences. At 37, the Paris Saint-Germain defender continues to bring all his qualities to the Red and Blue team. The Spanish international is still just as accurate in his passing (95% of successful passes compared to 87% for Isaak Toure), but he is also decisive in his interventions (72% of successful tackles compared to 43% for the Auxerre defender). In this Sunday's match, the Parisian number 4 will try to use his qualities once again to help the Parisian rearguard leave the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps with the three points.

As for Isaak Toure, the player on loan from Olympique de Marseille has established himself as a key member of Christophe Pélissier's eleven. Since arriving in the Yonne this winter, the tall defender who trained at HAC has started 15 times in the league. Blessed with an extraordinary physical capacity, the French defender has shown that his height and weight do not prevent him from competing with opposing forwards on the move.

30 MAY 2015 : AUXERRE - PARIS, THE STORY OF A unforgettable MATCH

After beating AS Saint-Etienne in the Coupe de France semi-final (4-1), Paris Saint-Germain found themselves up against AJ Auxerre at the Stade de France for the final of the competition. AJA, who were playing in Ligue 2 at the time, came up against the Parisians in the role of underdogs. However, the Bourguignon side did not make it easy for the Red and Blue. Paris took the game by the scruff of the neck and Lucas made the first inroads of the game into the opposition defence. The Brazilian winger fed Edinson Cavani, who saw his shot go wide. The second chance came closer for the capital club as midfielder Thiago Motta combined with Zlatan Ibrahimovic to unleash a sudden left-footed shot that struck Donovan Leon's post.

The Auxerre goalkeeper then proved decisive against Ibrahimovic, before Thiago Silva repelled the most dangerous of the opposition's attacks following a fine cross. But 'El Matador' never gave up, and eventually put a powerful header past the AJA keeper from Gregory van der Wiel's cross. The ball hit the crossbar before crossing the line to give the Parisians the lead after the hour mark (1-0, 65'). Auxerre were unable to trouble the capital club's defence, who won and celebrated their 9th Coupe de France title.

two clubs, one player : JOËL BATS

Born in Mont-de-Marsan in 1957, Joël Bats joined the Sochaux youth team in the 1970s before starting his professional career in the first division with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in 1976, as a goalkeeper. In four seasons with the Doubs, the French goalkeeper experienced the European Cup and finished second in the league in his last season in yellow and blue. In 1980, he joined AJ Auxerre, who had just been promoted to the first division. Under Guy Roux, Joël Bats became a regular in the Auxerre goal and led the team to the league podium in 1984. A year earlier, AJA's keeper was called up to the French national team for the first time, and took part in the historic victory of Les Bleus at Euro 1984. For his last season in Burgundy, he once again played in the European Cup.

After wearing the AJ Auxerre shirt 195 times in five years, Joël Bats joined the capital club in 1985. The French international made 285 appearances in seven seasons with the Parisians. The Landes man made history with Paris Saint-Germain, winning the club's first French league title in his first season with the club.  It was an exceptional season for him, as he also finished third with the French national team at the World Cup in Mexico. He didn't leave the club's goal until the end of the 1991-1992 season. Joël Bats then made way for his successor Bernard Lama and hung up his boots after sixteen years in the French football elite. The iconic Paris goalkeeper then took on the role of first team goalkeeping coach for the next two seasons, before becoming assistant coach of Paris Saint-Germain between 1994 and 1998.