A victory for Saint-Etienne and a defeat for Lyon in their last 17 matches: the 122nd derby between the two rival clubs, Sunday (9:00 p.m.), opposes two formations with diametrically opposed courses, but subject to the same pressure of the result.
After two defeats in Reims (3-1) and Strasbourg (1-0), ASSE is just four points ahead of dam Nîmes, before Matchday 21 of League 1.
Sixteenth in the standings, the Greens will fight to the end to stay there, and their precarious financial situation gives them little opportunity for the current transfer window.
About sixty kilometers away, Lyon He settled on the podium, but his surprise loss to Metz (1-0) last weekend knocked him down from first to third, behind PSG and Lille.
The fall champion must get back on track quickly, especially as PSG temporarily took a five-step lead by winning against Montpellier on Friday (4-0).
But both clubs are moving towards this turning point without their best assets.
The Greens decimated by the Covid
“Seven of our players remain or are positive, and will be unavailable”, warned the general manager Claude Puel, himself infected last Sunday, and absent in Strasbourg.
Saint-Etienne midfielder Mahdi Camara, in a match against Angers on December 11, 2020© AFP PHILIPPE DESMAZES
Facing the Alsatians, the Forézien club deplored the absence of ten players and eight members of the management, Puel denouncing “A grotesque situation and a lack of fairness”.
“With many cases this impacts not only the match in Strasbourg but also the following ones with different degrees of form due to the progressive resumes. While players who are no longer positive can be used in matches, they are not operational to meet expectations with intensity and risk of injury ”, he analyzed.
The latter relies on the spirit of the derby that the youngsters they intend to field have maintained during their training with the confrontations against OL.
“We are kids of the club and we know the importance of the derby for our supporters, who benefit a lot from it, because we have lived from it since we were young. It gives us an extraordinary desire ”, admitted midfielder Mahdi Camara, 22.
“Lyon has all its living forces but we will be there and bravely defend our luck. We have players raised with the derby bottle ”, Puel said.
In this health context, on the side of OL, the suspension of playing master Lucas Paqueta and the uncertainties over Houssem Aouar and Maxence Cornet seem derisory, but coach Rudi Garcia wants to avoid the trap of the weakened opponent’s debate.
OL on its guard
Lyon striker Memphis Depay against Metz on January 17, 2021 at Décines-Charpieu© AFP / Archives JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK
Only victory should count as Lyon have to react, in a tight title race.
“The classification does not count for a derby. There is a regulation. We do what we are told to do. We are prepared to play ”, evacuates the Lyon technician keeping in mind the first leg during which “His team suffered against ASSE who led 1-0 and were very good collectively”.
The Greens also missed a late-game penalty that would have tied the game at 2-2. OL were thus able to continue their climb in the standings, and Saint-Etienne their tumble with six straight losses.
“I would prefer Saint-Etienne to have all of their players because you don’t know who will be there or who won’t and it’s not worth focusing on that. A derby is still a derby, no team is superior to the other. It’s a lot of desire and motivation ”, assured Rudi Garcia.
Moreover, this 122nd edition can mark the switch in favor of OL for the first time since 1956 when the two clubs are perfectly tied (44 wins each and 33 draws).