There have been signs in recent weeks that the tremendous start made by Saint-Etienne to the Ligue 1 season is starting to fade. While Christophe Galtier will not view Tuesday’s encounter as essential, he will certainly see it as a game that could get the wheels turning in the right direction at the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard once more.
Saturday brought with it moderate disappointment at home against Caen. Galtier had recognised before the match that it would pose his side problems, though the manner in which his men played the first half was disappointing, and they thoroughly deserved to trail 1-0 at the interval. They replied in a rousing manner after the break, creating chances before Emmanuel Riviere equalised, though Dimitri Payet missed a golden opportunity to win the game by cracking a penalty high.
“We do have some regrets, because we had the chance to win it at the death,” the coach confessed to the media come full-time. “In truth, on the balance of play did we really deserve to win? We wanted to be on 20 points after 10 games; that would have been exceptional. We’ve got 18 and that’s not bad is it?”
Sainte have slipped to third in the standings, but after two years battling against the drop this represents a massive improvement. Success in either of the cup competitions would have to be considered a happy bonus for the Loire side.
Ups And Downs
Girondins de Bordeaux have a rich history in the Coupe de la Ligue, and as Jean Tigana attempts to win over fans at the Stade Chaban-Delmas over the course of the next season, he may well see the competition as something of a staging post at which his sides can impress.
Tigana’s predecessor, Laurent Blanc, won his first senior title in this very competition by overseeing a comfortable success over Vannes at the Stade de France back in 2009. If he could replicate such an achievement, it would be quite a feat given the staff changes on and off the field that les Girondins have had to cope with.
There have been signs that Bordeaux could get back towards their best. Fine performances have arrived against Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain – the headline teams in France – but against less glamorous opposition, the Aquitaine club has struggled.
At the weekend they were defeated at home by an upstart Stade Brestois side making waves in Ligue 1. Les Marine et Blanc spent much of the match pressing but were twice caught unawares as SB29 struck once in each half.
“Even if I’m not angry, I’m not going to sleep well tonight,” Tigana fumed on Saturday evening. “We were awful in the first half and were fortunate to go in at the break just 1-0 down. In the second half we were better.”
A reaction is expected from Bordeaux on Tuesday at a venue at which their hosts are unbeaten this term.
Saint-Etienne
Dimitri Payet and Christophe Landrin are suspended for the hosts, who will also be without Loic Perrin once again. Long-term injuries keep Josuha Guilavogui, Boubacar Sanogo and Yohan Andreu sidelined.
Bordeaux
Henrique is les Girondins’ only injury concern as Benoit Tremoulinas will to return to the squad. On the other hand, Alou Diarra is still missing following his controversial red card against Auxerre.
Prediction
Much depends on the strength of squad the respective coach’s elect to deploy. Saint-Etienne have decent depth to their panel, but absent players will make their lives tough. However, the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard rarely presents itself as an easy venue for teams to visit, so this match may well need additional time to decide it.
AS Saint-Etienne 1-1 Bordeaux 
