Preview: Lyon vs Saint-Étienne, Le Derby
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Known as one of the biggest historical rivalries in France, Le Derby between Lyon and Saint-Étienne is back after a two-year absence.
Olympique Lyonnais will host Saint-Étienne on Sunday evening in the return of the Le Derby, one of the fiercest rivalries in the history of French football. The pair will face off for the 113th time in Ligue 1, and for the first time since January 2022. Locally, the cities of Lyon and Saint-Étienne are symbolic of an opposition of a working class town, to a more bourgeois and cosmopolitan city.
Saint-Étienne is a relatively small city compared to Lyon, and their achievements in French football in the 1970s have always been seen as a minor miracle considering the size of its locality, mostly historically populated by blue-collar workers. Lyon is located 50 km away, and is indisputably historically the region's most wealthy and prosperous city: being known for its culture, food and architecture as a result.
On the pitch, the clash has gone back and forth between the pair for well over a century - seeing periods of differing dominance between the two sides from the Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne used to dominate the derby during their period of great dominance in the 1970s, but with the rise of Olympique Lyonnais with the help of enigmatic club president Jean-Michel Aulas in the 2000s Les Gones have since dominated the fixture.
OL were propped up by a golden generation of players, including Sidney Gouvou, Eric Abidal, Michael Essien, Karim Benzema among others. This is without mentioning the imports of Juninho and Giovane Élber who helped to propel the club to a record seven consecutive league titles in the 2000s. Les Gones have now won six of the last seven encounters at home against Saint-Étienne ahead of this weekend's clash at the Groupama Stadium.
Alexandre Lacazette: "I don't wear green."
“When we heard they were going up to Ligue 1, it was an important date for us," said Lyon captain Alexandre Lacazette in Lyon's pre-match press conference. “We explain how important the derby is, and other football fans are sometimes surprised that it's so important."
"When you arrive in Lyon, they explain everything to you and immerse you in the Lyon culture. No, I don't wear green; it's a colour I don't have at home and I know I can wear other colours, so yes, it's forbidden at home."
Olivier Dall'Oglio: "It's going to be intense."
"It's a national event, as evidenced by the fact that we're playing on Sunday at 8:45pm," Saint-Étienne manager Olivier Dall'Oglio said in his pre-match press conference. "There's a lot of interest in this match. It's an essential match for both clubs, an event. I've already seen quite a lot of footage of the match, including the departure of the Saint-Etienne bus. The spirit surrounding this event is incredible from the outside. From the inside, it's going to be even more intense."
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