With the match finely poised at 1-1 from the first leg, Saint-Etienne’s Ligue 1 will be determined in the second leg clash against Auxerre at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium on Sunday at 18:00GMT.
Match Preview
Can Saint-Etienne Beat the In-Form Auxerre to Remain in Ligue 1?
After getting an impressive 1-1 draw away from home, Saint-Etienne will be hoping for home advantage to count as they seek to beat an in-form Auxerre side fighting for promotion to Ligue 1.
Saint-Etienne will seek to strike a balance between defensive solidity and the need for attacking to get the goal(s) they need to win the match and remain in Ligue 1.
Can Auxerre Continue their Good Form by Beating Saint-Etienne Away from Home to Gain Promotion to Ligue 1?
Auxerre’s good form continued in the Play-Offs first leg match when they were held to a 1-1 raw by Saint-Etienne.
Auxerre will be looking to bolster their chances of gaining promotion away from home through their explosive attacking football.
Form Guide
Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne finished their season in poor form as they barely avoided direct relegation from Ligue 1.
With four losses and a draw, Saint-Etienne were in relegation form in the run-in of Ligue 1 as they struggled to fight for safety.
They will be looking to avoid such bad form in the second leg against Auxerre as they bid to remain in Ligue 1 next season.
Auxerre
Auxerre’s final five matches of the season highlight their good form heading into the Ligue 1 play-offs match against Saint-Etienne. They won four matches and drew one as they ended the season on a high.
The 13 points they collected enabled them to qualify for a play-off place where they are finely poised with a 1-1 scoreline from the first leg ahead of the decisive clash on Sunday.
Team News
Saint-Etienne
Eliaquim Mangala will face a late test for Saint-Etienne ahead of the second leg of the Ligue 1 play-offs match against Auxerre.
The defender has also finished his suspension and is not barred from taking part in the clash.
Auxerre
Auxerre do not have any reported injuries or niggles. This means the manager will have the entire squad available for selection ahead of the second leg clash against Saint-Etienne.
Possible Starting Lineups
Saint-Etienne
Bernardoni; M. Trauco, M. Nade, H. Moukoudi, F. Sacko; Z. Youssouf, M. Camara; D. Bouanga, A. Aouchiche, A. Nordin, E. Crivelli
Auxerre
Leone; C. Arcus, Jubal, T. Pellenard, Q. Bernard; B. Toure; L. Sinayoko, H. Sakhi, G. Hein, M. Autret; G. Charbonnier
Players to Watch
E. Crivelli
Crivelli will be crucial for Saint-Etienne in the second leg as they seek to get the goals they need to retain their Ligue 1 status.
The French professional who is on loan from Super Lig club Istanbul Basaksehir will lead the line in the second leg at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium with the tie nicely poised at 1-1 from the first leg.
His power, pace, and aerial threat will offer Saint-Etienne many options in the clash with Auxerre while giving other attacking players various options for the creation of chances and scoring them.
G. Charbonnier
Gaetan Charbonnier will lead the line for Auxerre in the second leg of the Ligue 1 play-offs against Saint-Etienne.
The experienced 33-year-old French professional will be crucial for Auxerre as they look to build on their 1-1 home result and enhance their chances of gaining promotion to Ligue 1.
His relationship with the wide players = M. Autret and L. Sinayoko – is important for Auxerre in building their attacks and posing a danger to Saint-Etienne on Sunday for the decisive second leg.
Prediction
Saint-Etienne will feel confident going into this match after getting a 1-1 draw away from home as they fight to keep their Ligue 1 status. They will adopt a compact approach for the second leg as they seek to catch Auxerre on the counter.
Auxerre will take the initiative as they will look to dominate the match and set the tempo throughout the 90 minutes.
A draw at the end of regular time is a likely result in this tie because the two teams are finely matched.
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