Auxerre host Le Mans at Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps on October 25 in Ligue 1's Regular Season - Round 8. Matchday 8 is the point where the season starts to take shape. Auxerre arrive 12th in the table and Le Mans 16th, a gap of four places between two sides still establishing their standing.

The clearest contrast is recent league form. Auxerre won three of their last four Ligue 1 matches: 1-0 against Nice on September 12, 2-1 against Stade Brestois 29 on September 20, and 3-1 away at Le Havre on October 18. Their one defeat in that run was 4-1 at Rennes on October 11. They have scored seven league goals and conceded six across those four games, and the Rennes result accounts for most of the goals against.

Le Mans have had a tougher run. They drew 2-2 with Lens on September 13 and beat Lorient 2-1 on September 19. Then came a 3-1 defeat at Paris Saint Germain on October 10 and a 0-3 home loss to Toulouse on October 16. That is one win, one draw and two defeats in their last four league games, with five goals scored and nine conceded. The Toulouse match was the only one of the four in which they failed to score.

We explore the matchup further in our check the full breakdown.

Both teams also played club friendlies on October 2. Auxerre beat Clermont Foot 4-3 and Le Mans lost 2-1 at Guingamp. These are not league results, but they show both sides kept playing between league rounds.

Neither side has any reported unavailable players, so W. Still and P. Videira should both have full squads to choose from. That points to continuity from the last league games for both managers.

Auxerre's recent league results are stronger and they have home advantage. Le Mans will want to repair a defensive record that has conceded three goals in each of their last two league outings.