Lyon will try to make it three straight wins when they host Auxerre at Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday, 25 April 2026, a meeting that could have a real impact at both ends of the Ligue 1 table. Lyon moved up to third after beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 away last weekend, while Auxerre arrived in the playoff spot after drawing 2-2 at Monaco.
The gap around them is razor thin. Only three points separate third from sixth in Ligue 1, with seventh place four further points back, so Lyon cannot afford to ease off if they want to protect their position. For Auxerre, the margin is even more delicate: they are five points above the bottom two and four points adrift of outright safety, which makes every away result count as the season tightens.
Lyon have built their push on strong work at home, winning 10 of their 14 league matches at Parc Olympique Lyonnais and conceding the joint-fewest home goals in the division with 10. Four of their last five top-flight victories have also come with clean sheets, a sign that their recent recovery has been driven as much by control as by attacking form. That matters after a difficult stretch in which they had gone nine games without a win, including six in Ligue 1, before their current upturn. Back-to-back victories lifted them three places in the table, and they now sit above fourth-placed Lille on head-to-head, one point clear of fifth and two above sixth with four games left.
Auxerre have had more trouble away from home, where they have won only one of their 15 league matches this season. They have also dropped points from winning positions in three of their last four away matches, a problem that has kept them in trouble even while they have gone four games unbeaten in Ligue 1. Their attacking return has been modest, too: they have scored 25 league goals, the joint-fewest in the division. Still, they have found a way to trouble Lyon before, scoring in each of their last six league visits to Parc Olympique Lyonnais, with their only win in that run coming in 2009.
The reverse fixture this season ended 0-0, and Auxerre are now aiming to avoid defeat across both meetings with Lyon in a top-flight season for the first time since 2010-11. Lyon will go into the match with concern over midfielder Khalis Merah, who was forced off in the second half against PSG and is a major doubt. Rémi Himbert remains sidelined with a serious ankle injury, while Pavel Sulc and Corentin Tolisso are working their way back from muscle problems. Ernest Nuamah is also closing in on a return after a lengthy absence.
The form lines point to Lyon as the stronger side, but Auxerre’s recent habit of staying alive late in matches keeps this from looking straightforward. Lyon have the table position, the home record and the cleaner defensive numbers. Auxerre have the survival pressure and the memory of a scoreless meeting already this season. Saturday should decide whether Lyon can keep their top-four chase moving or whether Auxerre can squeeze another point from a game they are not expected to control.
