Sunday evening, ASSE will play at Groupama Stadium against its eternal rival. A derby awaited by both sides since January 2022. Olivier Dall'Oglio's men hope to bring Saint-Etienne's first victory to the new Gones stadium. Lyon for its part plays at Hoffenheim this Thursday evening in the Europa League. Pierre Sage will take advantage of this to rotate his squad before the derby.
The derby: Regional supremacy at stake
The rivalry between Saint-Étienne and Lyon goes back well before the arrival of football. For decades, these two cities have been in opposition: Lyon, the regional textile capital and a bourgeois city, is opposed to Saint-Étienne, symbolizing the mining industry and a working-class spirit. This contrast in lifestyles and values has naturally generated tensions for centuries.
The arrival of football intensified this opposition. In the 1960s and 1970s, ASSE dominated French football. Under the gaze of OL, powerless in the face of this supremacy which can only contemplate the exploits of the Greens. While the golden age of the Greens had passed, in 1987, Jean-Michel Aulas took charge of OL. A club which is vegetating in Ligue 2, while ASSE is in the 1st division and is the most successful French club.
In the early 2000s, Lyon took off and reigned over French football with seven consecutive titles, entering its golden age. For its part, ASSE is going through difficulties and a series of setbacks against its rival. It was not until the 100th derby, in 2010, that the Greens finally won against OL. Since 2013, neither club has won a trophy. Although OL often remain favorites against the Greens, they are no longer as feared as at their peak in the 2000s.
Sage will spare its executives
Pierre Sage presented himself at a press conference before the Europa League match against Hoffenheim: “Matic is preserved for the derby. We want to mobilize the players on the two deadlines, by associating them because the first will condition the state of mind in which we will approach the second, and by dissociating them because they are two competitions different. We are clearly in the idea of winning in order to have a very clean head when it comes time to play our derby on Sunday. We will manage the playing time in relation to freshness, obviously. Regarding Alex, the philosophy is that. he performs well in both matches, not in all of them. His bad patch happens, I don't have a problem with that. You have to judge performances over time, get away from immediacy. micro analysis of things We will see at the end of the season what he did.
Some Lyon executives will be able to take a breather before receiving ASSE.
