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Auxerre and Sochaux lock horns in a Ligue 2 playoff fixture at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps on Friday.
The winner of the game will square off in the decisive game for promotion to Ligue 1 in a two-legged tie next week. With one game left this season in Ligue 1, either Metz or St-Etienne will play for their survival, depending on the outcome of their final league game of the campaign.
Auxerre finished third in the Ligue 2 standings and secured a direct entry into this fixture. Sochaux were fifth in the table at the end of the season and defeated fourth-placed Paris FC 2-1 in the first playoff fixture on Wednesday.
The hosts have not featured in the French top-flight since the 2011-12 campaign, while Sochaux have not made it to Ligue 1 since finishing 18th in the 2013-14 edition.
Auxerre vs Sochaux Head-to-Head
The two sides have met 71 times across all competitions since 1980, with the bulk of these encounters coming in Ligue 1. The home side enjoy a healthy lead of 37-17 in wins while 17 games have ended in draws.
Auxerre are undefeated in the two league meetings this season, with the game at the Stade Auguste-Bonal in September ending in a goalless draw and the match at Friday's venue in March ending in a 3-2 win for Les diplomates.
Auxerre form guide (Ligue 2): W-W-W-D-W
Sochaux form guide (Ligue 2): W-D-L-W-W
Auxerre vs Sochaux Team News
Auxerre
There are no reported injuries for the hosts at the moment. Jubal will return from a one-game suspension but Théo Pellenard will serve a one-game suspension of his own on account of the accumulation of yellow cards.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Théo Pellenard
Sochaux
Hermann Tebily is the only absentee for Les Lionceaux with an undisclosed injury.
Injured: Hermann Tebily
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Auxerre vs Sochaux Predicted XIs
Auxerre (4-1-4-1): Donovan Léon (GK); Carlens Arcus, Alexandre Coeff, Paul Joly, Quentin Bernard; Birama Touré; Lassine Sinayoko, Hamza Sakhi, Gauthier Hein, Mathias Autret; Gaëtan Charbonnier
Sochaux (4-2-3-1): Maxence Prévot (GK); Valentin Henry, Florentin Pogba, Christophe Diedhiou, Abdallah N'Dour; Joseph Lopy, Rassoul Ndiaye; Tony Mauricio, Gaétan Weissbeck, Steve Ambri; Aldo Kalulu
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Auxerre vs Sochaux Prediction
The hosts have been the better side in recent meetings in this fixture and have also outscored the visitors 61-47 in the league this term. Defensively, both sides have endured similar outings, with Auxerre conceding five goals more than Sochaux.
Maxime Do Couto scored a wonderful goal in injury time for Sochaux to complete their comeback in the first playoff fixture, so they need to work on their attacking output ahead of the game.
We are backing the hosts to pull through with a narrow win here.
Prediction: Auxerre 2-1 Sochaux
