Aiming to extend their top-tier stay into a second year, Saint-Etienne host Toulouse on the final day of the Ligue 1 campaign at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Saturday night.
Les Verts handed their survival hopes a significant boost by beating Reims last weekend, whilst Les Violets shared the spoils with Lens on home soil.
Match preview
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Following their promotion to this level via the promotion/relegation playoffs last season, Saint-Etienne are praying that they can grab the opportunity to be successful on the other side of that equation this term, with Saturday’s hosts staring demotion to Ligue 2 in the face.
That being said, there is clearly still plenty of fight left in the hearts of Les Verts, who secured a much-needed 2-0 victory versus Reims last Saturday afternoon, when first-half strikes from Florian Tardieu and Irvin Cardona were enough for three points at Stade Auguste-Delaune.
Winning their first away contest since the middle of March last time out, strugglers Saint-Etienne are currently occupying 17th spot in the Ligue 1 table ahead of this weekend’s season finale, one point behind Le Havre, who sit in the relegation-playoff position at this stage.
Collecting 21 of their 30 top-flight points in front of their own supporters this season, Les Verts will be quietly confident of earning three points on Saturday night, with Eirik Horneland‘s troops ranking 11th in the division based on points picked up across home matches.
With leading goalscorer Lucas Stassin on the sidelines owing to a muscle injury, Georgian winger Zuriko Davitashvili is the most likely source of a magical moment for Saint-Etienne this weekend, with the 24-year-old netting nine goals and providing seven assists from 32 Ligue 1 appearances in 2024-25.
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After back-to-back midtable finishes since returning to this level in 2022, Toulouse are in line for more of the same at the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign, with Saturday night’s visitors to Saint-Etienne having nothing tangible to play for at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Les Violets were in slight danger of being dragged into a relegation dogfight in April following a run of five straight league defeats, however Carles Martinez‘s men have since enjoyed a three-game unbeaten run, a stretch which includes a 1-1 draw at home to Lens last weekend.
Following the collection of a respectable five points from their last three contests, Toulouse are sitting in 12th spot in the Ligue 1 standings, and they could end up anywhere from 10th to 13th depending on the events of nine games across the division on the final night.
Martinez’s troops have struggled on the road since the 4-1 and 4-0 wins at Le Havre and Angers earlier in the calendar year, earning just a single point across trips to Strasbourg, Marseille, Reims and Nantes, meaning that Saint-Etienne can certainly have hope of a positive result this weekend.
A major positive from the stalemate against Lens last time out, talisman Zakaria Aboukhlal appeared from the bench and onto the pitch for the first time since late April following an injury, with the influential Moroccan aiming to add to his seven Ligue 1 goals on Saturday.
Team News
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Saint-Etienne remain without the services of Augustine Boakye, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign owing to an ankle injury.
The visitors’ options in attack are reduced further by the absence of Stassin, who has scored 12 goals in Ligue 1 since his summer switch from the Belgian Pro League.
Last featuring for Toulouse in Coupe de France before the turn of the year, Niklas Schmidt continues to recover from a serious cruciate ligament injury.
Les Violets are also unable to call upon the talents of Rasmus Nicolaisen, with the Dane suffering an ankle problem at the beginning of February.
Yann Gboho should keep his spot in the XI after netting against Lens last weekend, meaning that Aboukhlal could start on the bench once again.
Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Larsonneur; Appiah, Bernauer, Nade, Petrot; Moueffek, Ekwah, Tardieu; Cardona, Wadji, Davitashvili
Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Restes; Sidibe, McKenzie, Canvot; Donnum, Casseres Jr, Sierro, Kamanzi; Gboho, King, Magri
We say: Saint-Etienne 1-0 Toulouse
Desperate for a positive result to stay alive in the survival hunt, Saint-Etienne will be looking to take advantage of Toulouse’s safety on Saturday night.
Les Violets will want to end the campaign on a high note but will be unable to match the desire from Les Verts, who should squeeze past the attentions of the visitors to claim three points.
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