AS Saint-Étienne hit by injuries before Ligue 2 opener at FC Sochaux

AS Saint-Étienne (ASSE) will travel to the Auguste‑Bonal stadium for its Ligue 2 season‑opening match against newly promoted FC Sochaux‑Montbéliard on Saturday. Around 800 Saint‑Étienne supporters have already secured the entire visitor parking area in Sochaux, demonstrating strong fan mobilisation for the fixture.

Coach Ian Cathro, however, faces a difficult start as several first‑team players are sidelined. Midfielder Lamba (ankle) and forward Jaber (adductors) are expected to miss action until September, defender El Jamali (knee) until October, and Ben Old (ankle) also until October. Striker Eymard (tibia) may be unavailable until November. The squad’s depth is further challenged by uncertainty surrounding Zuriko Davitashvili and N’Guessan, who could depart in the upcoming transfer window.