Auxerre can create through connected receivers and runs behind the defence without needing most of the ball. Le Mans bring a direct forward outlet, but their defensive and left-sided roles are changing. This match should turn on the quality of the second pass and the response after the first clearance.
Archer's movement gives Faivre and Namaso a target beyond the back line. Danois, Faivre and Namaso all contributed to the goals at Le Havre, where Auxerre continued creating after the opposition replied. That is a useful example of an attack sustaining its work through a change in score.
Auxerre's official squad retains that attacking core and the Danois–Ahamada partnership. Their listed absences were already absent from the previous roster. Le Mans lose Voyer and Larouci after both started against Toulouse, adding changes to a unit that conceded through a delivery and a follow-up.
Calodat still gives Le Mans a genuine supply option, so the home side have defensive work to do. I expect Auxerre to test the reshaped unit with different receivers and Archer's depth rather than rely on possession alone. That's why I'm siding with Auxerre to win.
