AS Saint-Étienne prepares for a crucial Ligue 1 play-off first leg against Nice this Tuesday at Geoffroy-Guichard. Left-back Ben Old remains a doubt after sustaining a hamstring injury in the recent play-offs against Rodez, while midfielder Florian Tardieu is confirmed to be fit following his calf injury recovery.
Just ten days after securing victory in the Ligue 2 play-offs against Rodez (0-0, 7-6 on penalties), AS Saint-Étienne is poised to challenge OGC Nice in the upcoming Ligue 1 promotion play-offs. On Monday afternoon, Stéphanois coach Philippe Montanier provided an update on his squad’s readiness for the highly anticipated first leg.
Ben Old, the New Zealand international left-back who picked up a hamstring injury during the Rodez encounter, faces an uncertain status for Tuesday’s home match at Geoffroy-Guichard. He is scheduled for a final fitness assessment on Tuesday morning before a definitive decision is made regarding his participation.
The Greens will, however, be bolstered by the return of Florian Tardieu. The experienced midfielder, sidelined since early March due to a calf injury, has fully recovered and is now available for selection. Conversely, young forward Djylian N’Guessan is unfortunately ruled out, having sustained a new hamstring injury.
Questions linger over the availability of international players, some of whom are either currently with their national teams or awaiting World Cup selections. Coach Philippe Montanier stated on Thursday that discussions are ongoing, with further news awaited. This uncertainty affects Ben Old (New Zealand), as well as Augustine Boakye and Ebenezer Annan (Ghana).
The ASSE – OGC Nice Ligue 1 play-off first leg is scheduled for this Tuesday at 8:45 PM, with live coverage available on local radio broadcasts.
