Auxerre were beaten in both of their league games so far, while those encounters were quite entertaining to watch (11 goals total). I am backing Lyon to win a high-scoring affair on Friday.
Key Stats
- Lyon have won 2 of their last 3 matches against Auxerre.
- Lyon have seen over 3.5 goals in 4 of their last 5 matches against Auxerre.
- Lyon’s Lois Openda has scored 2 goals in his last 3 matches.
- Auxerre have lost their last 2 matches.
- Auxerre have seen over 3.5 goals in their last 2 matches.
Les Gones Lead H2H
Lyon were victorious in 30 out of 61 head to head matches against this opponent, while Auxerre won on 16 occasions.
Mixed Results for Lyon
Speaking of their domestic affairs, Lyon are having a solid start to the new Ligue 1 campaign, grabbing four points from the opening two rounds.
Les Gones kicked things off with a 2-0 road victory at Toulouse with Noah Nartey and Malick Fofana finding the net. They had 0.70-2.76 xG and 11-17 shots here, the opposition missing four great chances to score.
Paulo Fonseca's side were tagged heavy favorites last weekend at home against Le Havre but barely salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw, recent signing Lois Openda scoring an equalizer just before stoppage time.
Lyon also participated in the Champions League qualifiers and lost to Fenerbahce 3-2 on aggregate, dropping to Europa League group stages.
Zero Points for Auxerre so Far
Auxerre won their last three games in the previous season which was just enough to avoid relegation, while starting the new campaign under new head manager Will Still.
They were smashed in the opening round by Lens 5-2, ending the clash with 1.85-4.42 expected goals and 4-9 shots on target, allowing 10 goal chances to the opposition.
Auxerre were tagged light favorites last weekend at home against Angers, but their back line did an awful job once again, losing the encounter 3-1.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Lyon (4-2-3-1) Dominik Greif; Zachary Athekame, Felix Bacher, Moussa Niakhate, Nicolas Tagliafico; Casper Bidstrup, Tyler Morton; Ernest Nuamah, Corentin Tolisso, Kail Boudache; Lois Openda
Malick Fofana has made a move to Sunderland earlier this week,meaning Lois Openda will almost certainly lead the attack. Ainsley Maitland-Niles also left to Everton, while Julien Duranville is injured.
Auxerre (4-3-3) Babacar Diop; Lamine Sy, Sinaly Diomande, Esteban Legros, Clement Akpa; Naouirou Ahamada, Clement Piedfort, Kevin Danois; Romain Faivre, Danny Namaso, Remy Labeau Lascary
Francisco Sierralta, Bryan Okoh, Assane Diousse and Marvin Senaya are ruled out due to injuries.
Francisco Sierralta, Bryan Okoh, Assane Diousse and Marvin Senaya are ruled out due to injuries.