Everything you need to know about Paris-Auxerre!
History, what's at stake and keys to the match! Find out everything you need to know before the kick-off Ligue 1 Round 15 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and AJ Auxerre, this Sunday 13 November at 13:00 at the Parc des Princes.
A LITTLE HISTORY...
Paris-Auxerre - it's back! Ten years after their descent into Ligue 2, the Burgundian club is back in the top flight and staring down the barrel of a match Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
The two teams have played each other 73 times in official matches: the record is 30 wins, 22 draws and 21 defeats for the players from the capital.
At the Parc des Princes, Paris have won 19 times, drawn 11 and lost six in 26 matches played. The last meeting between the two teams at the Parc des Princes was on 4 December 2011, when Les Rouge et Bleu won 3-2.
Paris and Auxerre have not faced each other for seven years - since Paris Saint-Germain beat the Burgundian club, at the time playing their trade in Ligue 2, 1-0 in the Coupe de France final in Saint-Denis on 30 May 2015 to win the first quadruple in club history.
Nineteen players have played for both teams: Joël Bats, Edouard Cissé, Oumar Dieng, Alec Georgen, Alain Goma, Ruddy Haddad, Gérard Hallet, Boaventure Kalou, Yann Lachuer, Gérard Lanthier, Ronan Le Crom, Dominique Lokoli, Peguy Luyindula, Stéphane Mahé, Didier Martel, Franck Merelle, Alain Roche, Kays Ruiz-Atil, and Sammy Traoré. Mohamed Sissoko and the late Michel N'Gom were both at Auxerre but never played an official match for the Burgundy first team.
Pedro Miguel Pauleta is the top scorer in this Paris-Auxerre fixture, with a total of six goals. He is ahead of Vincent Guérin, Nenê and George Weah (four goals).
THE STAKES...
Les Rouge et Bleu's last league defeat at the Parc des Princes came on 3 April 2021 against Lille (0-1). Since then, the capital club have gone 28 games without defeat (24 wins and four draws). Paris Saint-Germain's record is 41 matches without defeat, from 20 March 2016 (Monaco, 0-2) to 12 May 2018 (Rennes, 0-2).
Paris are also on a run of 30 official matches without defeat since the 3-0 league defeat in Monaco on 20 March. This run is in the top three in the club's history, behind the all-time record of 37 - from August 1993 to April 1994 - and the second-placed 36-match run from March 2012 to December 2013.
THE KEYS TO THE MATCH
After the victory in Lorient (2-1) last week, this will the second match at the unusual time of 13:00 on Sunday for the Parisians in the league this season. In eight matches played in this time slot, Paris' record is six wins and two defeats. At the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain beat Saint-Etienne (3-2, 18/04/2021) and Bordeaux (3-0, 13/03/202), two clubs now in Ligue 2, in their Sunday afternoon clashes.
Paris have been unbeaten at home against promoted sides for 12 years - when they lost 3-1 to Montpelier on 15 May 2010 - that's a run of 28 games without defeat - 25 wins and only three draws (Monaco 1-1 in 2013-2014, Caen 2-2 in 2014-2015 and Troyes 2-2 last season).
Kylian Mbappé, who has scored 42 times in official competition for Paris Saint-Germain in 2022, is the top scorer in the European top five (Germany-England-Spain-France-Italy) this year ahead of Robert Lewandowski (38 goals), Christopher Nkunku (37 goals), Erling Haaland (33 goals) and Karim Benzema (30 goals). The Parisian striker could equal his personal calendar-year record of 43 goals, set in 2021, when he takes the field against Auxerre.