AS Saint-Étienne readies for decisive Ligue 2 showdown with Rodez
AS Saint-Étienne (ASSE) sit third after the regular phase of Ligue 2 and must navigate the promotion play‑offs to return to Ligue 1. Their next match, on Friday evening at Stade Geoffroy‑Guichard, pits them against Rodez Aveyron, who come in with confidence after a 3‑2 win over Red Star.
ASSE have several key players returning from injury ahead of the fixture: goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur, defender Kevin Pedro, midfielder Julien Le Cardinal and forward Joshua Duffus. The squad still lacks Mahmoud Jaber, Chico Lamba, Nadir El Jamali and Paul Eymard, who are out for the season, while Florian Tardieu has resumed individual training but remains uncertain for selection. The match is seen as a pivotal step in Saint‑Étienne’s promotion push.