Relegation rivals Strasbourg and Auxerre are locked on 23 points ahead of their pivotal Ligue 1 showdown at La Meinau on Sunday afternoon.
Auxerre have avoided defeat in each of their last six league matches to give themselves a chance of avoiding the drop, although the Burgundy outfit remain in the bottom four, with Strasbourg sitting outside the relegation zone on goal difference.
Match preview
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Strasbourg's struggles in 2022-23 are highlighted by the fact that Frederic Antonetti, who was appointed last month, is the club's third permanent manager of the campaign.
Following the January departure of Julian Stephan, Mathieu Le Scornet arrived at La Meinau but oversaw just six games before parting company with the Alsace outfit, leading to the appointment of Antonetti.
Le Racing have made a satisfactory start to life under the new boss, taking five points from a possible 12 since the latest managerial change, with a run of one win, two draws and one defeat keeping the club outside the drop zone.
That said, with 19th-placed Troyes sitting just three points behind 15th-placed Strasbourg in the Ligue 1 table, Antonetti's side are still in real danger of relegation.
It is also worth noting that Strasbourg hold the fifth-worst home record in the division, having won just two of their 14 games at La Meinau this season, while only three sides have conceded more goals on home soil.
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Auxerre looked destined for relegation when they suffered seven successive defeats between November and February, but Christophe Pelissier has inspired a marked upturn in form of late.
Indeed, Auxerre have avoided defeat in each of their last six Ligue 1 matches, picking up two wins and four draws since their last loss to move level on points with Strasbourg in the standings.
Following draws against Reims and Angers, Auxerre claimed back-to-back victories over Lyon and Lorient before drawing with Nice and Rennes, meaning that Pelissier's men have taken 10 points from a possible 18 since ending their losing run
Still, there is no hiding the fact that Auxerre hold the second-worst away record in Ligue 1, having recorded two wins, three draws and nine losses at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps this term.
On top of that, the Burgundy outfit have the third-worst defensive record in the division, while only two teams have scored fewer goals this season, so Auxerre still have plenty of work to do in order to avoid the drop.
Team News
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Only five players have scored more Ligue 1 goals than Strasbourg's Habib Diallo this season, and the striker will be confident of enhancing his tally of 16 after netting five goals across the past six matches.
Jean-Eudes Aholou bagged a late brace to rescue a 2-2 draw against Marseille last time out, so the ex-Monaco man will keep his place in the midfield alongside Aston Villa loanee Morgan Sanson.
On the injury front, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (ankle), Eiji Kawashima (shoulder) and Maxime Le Marchand (ankle) remain sidelined for Le Racing.
As for Auxerre, they will be without the injured trio of Elisha Owusu (Achilles), Theo Pellenard (knee) and Hamza Sakhi (ankle) this weekend, while Kays Ruiz-Atil is a doubt due to illness.
Captain Birama Toure is the only Auxerre player to have started every Ligue 1 game this season, although the defensive midfielder has failed to score in 82 top-flight appearances for the club.
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Nyamsi, Djiku, Guilbert; Dagba, Sanson, Aholou, Lienard, Delaine; Gameiro, Diallo
Auxerre possible starting lineup:
Radu; Zedadka, Raveloson, Jubal, Toure, Mensah; Hein, Massengo, Toure, Perrin; Niang
We say: Strasbourg 1-1 Auxerre
Buoyed by last weekend's draw at Marseille, Strasbourg will be hopeful of notching another positive result on Sunday, although the hosts may have to settle for a point as Auxerre extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
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Top tip
Ben Morris
