Luis Enrique will be extremely happy with the way his PSG side have performed in Ligue 1, as they conclude another successful league season with a home clash against Auxerre. The only possible regret for this campaign is the fact that the Parisians could not stay unbeaten for the entire period.
Before their first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, PSG lost to OGC Nice on home soil, as they were on course to set a Ligue 1 record. However, the Parisians can look back fondly at how their campaign panned out, with another league title in their bag.
Now, PSG take on Auxerre in a dead rubber of a contest in Paris, with both sides having nothing to gain from the result in the context of the league. For the champions, this game could be a solid opportunity to prepare for the two finals ahead later this month, as Enrique’s men are in contention to win the treble by clinching the Coupe de France and the Champions League.
Auxerre supporters will barely lose any sleep if their team were to drop points in Paris on the final day of the season. From a larger context, Unlike in the 2022/23 season, where they were immediately demoted back down to the second division after winning promotion the season before, Auxerre have exceeded expectations considering they were seen as favourites for relegation at the start of the current season.
The club have also done a good job sticking with Christophe Pelissier, who has had his best season so far in his third campaign with the club. Hence, Auxerre are expected to go into this clash without any sort of pressure as the visitors dropping down to eleventh or even twelfth in the standings the only drawback to a defeat.
Once again, Luis Enrique does not have any injury concerns apart from the absence of injury-ravaged Presnel Kimpembe. The manager could once again make plenty of alterations to his main starting lineup keeping the upcoming cup and the UEFA Champions League finals in mind.
Hence, Enrique could name a similar lineup like last weekend that secured a comfortable win over Montpellier. Goncalo Ramos’s hat-trick in that game does guarantee a starting spot for the striker and the Portuguese star hitting top form right when it’s needed for the club could also elevate him to a starring role in one of the upcoming finals.
Axel Tape will once again be in line to start in a back three alongside Lucas Beraldo and Lucas Hernandez, while Warren Zaire-Emery could be their deepest midfielder with Lee Kang-in and Senny Mayulu on either side. Desire Doue could take up a more central role behind Ramos, while Ibrahim Mbaye and Bradley Barcola could occupy the wide roles on either side.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Safonov; Tape, Beraldo, Hernandez; Mayulu, Zaire-Emery, Lee, Doue; Mbaye, Ramos, Barcola
Lasso Coulibaly and Nathan Buayi-Kiala are out of the contest as well as for the long term with ACL injuries, while Kevin Danois is another player missing out of action for Auxerre. Christophe Pelissier will have a similar squad to last weekend, meaning he is likely to name a similar lineup for the visit to Paris.
A back five could be on show for Auxerre with Jubal marshaling from a central role, with Sinaly Diomande and Clement Akpa on either side. Ki-Jana Hoever and Gideon Mensah are the players in the full-back roles in that backline.
Han-Noh Massengo and Elisha Owusu are the expected central midfielders for Auxerre, with key goalscorers Gaetan Perrin and Hamed Traore occupying the wide roles in that midfield setup. Lassine Sinayoko will lead the line on his own, although the likes of Perrin are expected to come further forward in support inside the final third.
Probable Lineup (5-4-1): Leon; Hoever, Diomande, Jubal, Akpa, Mensah; Perrin, Massengo, Owusu, Traore; Sinayoko
All eyes will be on Ousmane Dembele and his chances to keep hold of the top goalscorer status, although the winger is not expected to start as he might come off the bench at some point. As PSG are managing a hamstring problem for the winger, Luis Enrique will be delighted at how Goncalo Ramos has taken his chance when provided with the opportunity.
Ramos’s hat trick last weekend has more or less guaranteed him a place at the weekend, and should he continue on this goalscoring form, Enrique might even consider him for one of the upcoming finals. Hence, all eyes will be on the Portuguese attacker and how he performs in the final game of the league season against Montpellier.
Auxerre will come into this clash without any sort of pressure apart from dropping down a couple of places in the standings from their current position. They are well settled in Ligue 1 midtable and will be delighted at their overall performances this term. Hence, with a free hand, they might come to trouble a much-changed PSG defence.
PSG do have a large enough squad with quality players in all positions, and Luis Enrique will be counting on his fringe stars to carry the team once again before the main group takes over for the two upcoming finals. Even with a much-changed team, PSG are the clear favourites to win this clash against Auxerre and break a long-standing Ligue 1 points tally record currently held by Saint-Etienne.
