Le Havre vs Auxerre Prediction : Le Havre are favorites

Le Havre and Auxerre currently sit side by side in the Ligue 1 standings, each having registered just the single win and suffered one defeat without a draw this season. Le Havre was in ninth place, with Auxerre in 10th. Therefore, the match between them can be very crucial for both to have an early push against one another this season.

Le Havre comes into this match off the back of a confidence-boosting 2-0 victory away to St. Etienne. They have been quite inconsistent in the recent past, currently standing at one win, two draws, and two losses in the last five outings. This could be seen in the previous encounter, where they dug in and managed to keep a clean sheet, but it is this inconsistency in previous games that is starting to question whether they can maintain this high level of performance. In general, Le Havre has been a little more consistent at home, often striking the right balance between defensive stability and attacking intent.

Auxerre meanwhile has some issues in defense, which have been seen in the previous round when they lost 2-0 to Nantes. Their form over the last five games was better than that of Le Havre, as they had 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 defeat. However, recent defensive vulnerability has to be a concern, now having conceded in three on the spin and often the first to do so. This is the recurrent problem of Auxerre-starting slowly into matches-which conceding an early goal may work disastrously against a team like Le Havre likely to exploit such weaknesses.

Historically, Le Havre leads in their confrontations, having won 11 matches against Auxerre's 5, with 4 draws. Their last meeting, however, ended in favor of Auxerre, who won away 2-1 in 2022. In head-to-head comparisons, in 4 of the last 5 games, both teams have managed to score. Moreover, Auxerre has conceded in the last 5 games back to Le Havre, and fewer goals have been seen in the meetings between them. To be precise, under 2.5 goals have been scored in 7 of their last 9 H2Hs.

The current form of the teams and the historical head-to-head record suggest that the match is bound to be closely contested. However, recent clean sheet attained by Le Havre and their home advantage in this match might tilt the balance of power in their favor. Still, Auxerre's recent problem of not being able to prevent their opponents from scoring-particularly their tendency to concede first-is most likely to continue into this match, assuming Le Havre manages an early advantage.

Taking into consideration those factors, a low-scoring game and one in which Le Havre needs to be favored to win, perhaps by a 1-0 or 2-1 margin. The run of both teams scoring could well continue, yet Le Havre's recent defensive solidity might enable them to shut Auxerre out. If Auxerre's defense continues to leak, Le Havre could easily win all three points.

• Home Win or Draw and Under 4.5 Goals at 1.63 Odds
• Home Win at 2.52 Odds
• Correct Score 2-1 at 10.00 Odds