When the draw was made for the group stages of the Champions League, it was clear that Auxerre faced an uphill task in a group with Milan, Real Madrid and Ajax, but after equipping themselves well in their opening game, Jean Fernandez’s side will hold out hope of claiming a big scalp, and they don’t get any greater than los Merengues.
After defeating big-spending Zenit St Petersburg in the play-off round at home, AJA received widespread acclaim for their performance, but the Burgundy club have struggled domestically, picking up five draws and two defeats in their opening seven Ligue 1 fixtures. At home against Nancy on Saturday, Dennis Oliech shot AJA into a 2-0 lead, but they were pegged back before the interval and couldn’t kick again in the second half.
Against Jose Mourinho’s Madrid they face an even tougher task, though Fernandez is clearly treating the Champions League as bonus matches. “While I'm not worried about Tuesday's game against Real Madrid, I am concerned about the rest of our league season,” he explained to the press on Saturday evening, flagging up weaknesses in his previously impervious defence as cause for particular anxiety.
Facing Milan at San Siro in their group opener, Auxerre were expected to toil but gave an excellent account of themselves en route to a 2-0 defeat. On several occasions in the first half the French side could and perhaps should have forged a lead, giving their Spanish rivals enough to think about ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.
Goal Shy
Unbeaten under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho to date, Real Madrid have yet to seriously impress since the Portuguese coach took over, with a scoreless draw at the weekend away to newly promoted Levante allowing Barcelona to take the initiative once again in the race for the Primera Division crown.
In five domestic affairs, Madrid, with their expensively assembled offensive arsenal, have managed to find the net on only six occasions, and though they have leaked only once, Mourinho has confessed that a lack of cutting edge is starting to worry him.
“I am concerned that no goals have materialised given the amount of attacking football and the opportunities we have had. It is not normal to need so many opportunities,” ‘Mou’ commented after seeing his side shut out for the second time this term.
Los Blancos’ best performance of the season to date arguably came against Ajax in the Champions League, and even on that evening in the Bernabeu they could only conjure a 2-0 victory thanks to an own goal and a 71st minute strike from Gonzalo Higuain.
Mourinho is set to shuffle his pack in France as he attempts to find a goal scoring solution. Karim Benzema is primed for an offensive role against AJA, with the profligate Higuain dropping to the bench. If this solution fails to work, the Portuguese will be left with further questions to answer.
TEAM NEWS
Auxerre
Ireneusz Jelen, AJA’s predatory Polish forward, missed out at the weekend due to a knee problem and was a serious doubt to feature on Tuesday evening. However, Fernandez has been able to name one of his showpiece players in his squad.
Meanwhile, Anthony Le Tallec is absent because of a broken ankle, while promising young forward Yaya Sanogo is another long-term absentee.
The news that Jeremy Berthod is fit to return to the squad is countered significantly by that of Jean-Pascal Mignot’s adductor problems, which will keep him out.
Real Madrid
Pedro Leon has been overlooked by Jose Mourinho, despite a good cameo performance at the weekend.
Fernando Gago and Raul Albiol have been training lightly but are not involved as they are still fighting to overcome injury, while Sergio Canales, Ezequiel Garay and Kaka all remain on the sidelines.
Prediction
Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid may have been misfiring, but not so much as Auxerre have been struggling. AJA will certainly raise their game to meet los Blancos, but an early goal from the guests could spark the kind of rout that a side with so many world class players always threatens. Even if los Merengues toil in the first half, they should be able to negotiate their way to a success in the style of Milan a fortnight ago.
AJ Auxerre 1-2 Real Madrid 
