D-1 before the derby between Lyon and Saint-Etienne which will take place at the sold-out Groupama Stadium, Sunday evening, at the end of the 11th day of Ligue 1. Saint-Etienne supporters were entitled to public training this Saturday, November 9 in Etrat.
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“I told myself there was going to be a crazy atmosphere.” Many of them did not want to miss this training. Fans, family or friends, came in large numbers this Saturday.Saint-Etienne supporters came to support the Greens on the eve of the long-awaited derby against Lyon. They will also accompany the departure of the bus to the match.
The Greens on the eve of the derby against OL, training in front of the supporters.
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© France tv
“We had the honors of the supporters, there were really a lot of people, the players really appreciated it, the staff too. We know that tomorrow we have a very important match, they came to bring us energy, we take it”, declared AS Saint-Etienne coach Olivier Dall'Oglio.
They sang songs of encouragement, took out the smoke bombs, the jerseys, the flags… unable to support their Greens at Décines-Charpieu on Sunday, the Saint-Etienne supporters came to attend their team's last training session, Saturday at Etrat. Members of the Green Angels, Magics Fans, but also a family audience attended. If the supporters came to encourage their players, above all they expect results.
Last training at L'Etrat before the derby against Lyon on Sunday evening. 9/11/24
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© France tv
“The Derby is the date we mark off. It’s important, it’s the rivalry between the two cities, the competition all year round… the meeting is eagerly awaited“, explains a supporter. “It's a historic rivalry. Plus we're making our return to League 1, it's all the more important. It's a match we've been waiting for for a long time. There's an atmosphere today, we are with them wholeheartedly and give them strength for tomorrow evening,” confirms another supporter, Greens scarf around his neck. He wouldn't have wanted to miss this training for anything in the world..
“Even if we can't come tomorrow, we're here, we have a great atmosphere, it's not bad. It'll push them to do their best tomorrow. On the big day, we'll applaud them from behind our screen, that doesn't change anything.” adds another young supporter.
For this 125th derby, as for 11 years, Saint-Etienne supporters will not be able to attend the meeting. Loire supporters have not been allowed to go to Lyon since 2013. On November 5, the Rhône prefecture once again banned the arrival of Saint-Etienne supporters on Sunday at Groupama Stadium.
The authorities fear incidents between supporters of the two teams. This meeting was classified as very high risk (5 out of 5) by the National Directorate for the Fight against Hooliganism (DNLH, dependent on the Ministry of the Interior). Olympique Lyonnais will closely monitor behavior in the stands.
The club is also very attentive to the illegal resale of tickets. OL has reserved its ticketing for subscribers, members of loyalty programs and its supporters, namely those who have already been customers at least once.
The Saint-Etienne club made its return to League 1. During the past two seasons, ASSE played in Ligue 2. The last meeting between the two clubs dates from January 21, 2022. Lyon then won 1-0.
In the 124 previous meetings between the two rival clubs, Olympique Lyonnais have won 46, compared to 44 in favor of ASSE and 34 draws. The supremacy of the Greens dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, at the time of their European epic. The Lyonnais dominated the derby during their hegemony over French football, in the 2000s.
