Relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne welcome Angers to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in a must-win clash in Ligue 1 on Saturday night.
Angers look to be safe in mid-table on their return to the top flight, but Les Verts are in grave danger of slipping back down to Ligue 2, starting another weekend in the relegation places.
Match preview
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Saint-Etienne's fears of relegation were deepened last weekend when they were thrashed 5-1 at Marseille, which was their third straight defeat, in which time they have conceded 11 goals.
New manager Eirik Horneland looked as though he was getting a tune out of the side to begin with, but he has now only managed to win two points from a possible 18 available in their last six.
Les Verts are yet to drop into the automatic relegation places, but their woeful goal difference (minus-30, the club's worst ever at this stage of a top-flight season) means Le Havre and Montpellier are both within touching distance, while Horneland's side are three points adrift of safety.
While the last three have all been very challenging games, this fixture, and the following three, should provide a much clearer picture of where ASSE are at currently.
Home games against Angers and Nice come before successive away matches against the current bottom two, and if Saint-Etienne remain in deep trouble after that four-game spell, then the writing could be on the wall.
Only once before have Saint-Etienne conceded as many as their current tally of 50 at this stage of a Ligue 1 season, and that was all the way back in the 1940s, but they did survive relegation that season.
The hosts also have a brilliant record on home soil against Angers, remaining unbeaten in their last 17 meetings at the Guichard - their longest run against a current top-flight outfit.
Across all venues, their record is superb too, with just two defeats in 28, but one of those did come in the reverse fixture back in October, when Angers won 4-2, scoring twice as many goals that afternoon than they had managed in the six previous meetings combined.
That was one of the five meetings so far this season in Ligue 1 against two newly-promoted clubs, and the home side on the day often come out on top, with four ending in victory for the hosts, including ASSE's home clash with Auxerre, which they won 3-1.
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Angers have already surpassed the tally of points they managed when they were relegated in 2022-23, and now have the chance this weekend to win back-to-back league games without conceding for the first time in almost four years.
That comes after a 1-0 win over Reims last weekend, but form has been slightly topsy turvy for Alexandre Dujeux's men in 2025, because after winning their first three, and reaching the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, they could not beat Le Havre at home, and lost against both Lens and Marseille.
The results they have picked up have been enough to move them eight points clear of trouble, though, despite being one of the favourites to be relegated at the start of the campaign, and that gap will stretch to 11 if they win here.
Dujeux must therefore ensure his players do not have one eye on their cup quarter-final against Reims, which is on the horizon in midweek, and will excite the supporters, given how wide open the competition has become following the elimination of many French giants.
Team News
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Saint-Etienne are set to remain without New Zealand international Ben Old with a knee issue here, while Dennis Appiah and Ibrahima Wadji are doubts with minor setbacks.
Aimen Moueffek could return soon after a lengthy spell out with illness, and there may be a debut for Dinamo Zagreb loanee Maxime Bernauer, who was an unused sub in the mauling at Marseille last weekend.
Angers will be without Jean Aholou due to suspension, while the in-form Esteban Lepaul has been ruled out for two-to-three matches and will be a big miss, after scoring eight goals in his last 10 starts.
Fellow attacker Bamba Dieng has missed all four games in February so far, and may remain sidelined along with Emmanuel Biumla, Jim Allevinah and Carlens Arcus, while Cedric Hountondji is absent with an unspecified injury.
Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Larsonneur; Appiah, Batubinsika, Nade, Petrot; Bouchouari, Ekwah, Tardieu; Boakye, Stassin, Davitashvili
Angers possible starting lineup:
Fofana; Raolisoa, Bamba, Lefort, Hanin; Ferhat, Capelli, Belkebla, Belkhdim, Abdelli; El Melali
We say: Saint-Etienne 1-0 Angers
Saint-Etienne desperately need a win as they begin a run of four promising fixtures on paper, which includes trips to the bottom two, and they have been stronger at home, winning 16 of their 18 points at the Guichard.
With Angers all but safe and playing in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, it would not be a surprise to see some having one eye on that game in midweek, and that could see them slip up in the league here, like how they did against Le Havre recently.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
