Playoff Preview: Sainté take on Nice
AS Saint-Étienne will look to return to Ligue 1 McDonald's as they take on OGC Nice in the first leg of tomorrow's promotion/relegation playoff. Get the latest in our preview.
Sainté ready to return to the top flight
Never a side to be ready to settle for life in the second tier given their history, Sainté pursued promotion aggressively this season, spending the better part of €30M as well as retaining key players like Lucas Stassin and Zuriko Davitashvili. Both attackers would hit top form this season, reaching double figures in goals in the league and even if Sainté just missed out hon automatic promtion, their play under Philippe Montanier proves their quality.
Speaking pre-match, Montanier underscored that despite Nice's struggles, his team were taking nothing for granted, saying, "I wasn’t surprised by their Coupe de France final appearance. (…) I have no explanation for their presence in the playoffs; there are so many contributing factors. I don’t really care why they’re here. They are here, and we have to face them. They are better placed than I am to draw lessons from their season, but one thing is certain: this is not a team built to be in this position."
Veille de barrage pour les Verts ! 👊 pic.twitter.com/rMYrulAZp9
— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) May 25, 2026
A confident Nice
While Nice may have lost to RC Lens in Friday's Coupe de France final, they still delivered a strong showing in Paris, and will look to build on the confidence their cup run gave them. Lens had taken a 2-0 lead in the first half, but a stoppage time strike from youngster Djibril Coulibaly had Le Sang et Or setting for most of the second half until Adrien Thomasson more or less settled things late on. However, to face up to Les Verts tomorrow, Nice will have a difficult challenge.
Namely, they will be without Elye Wahi -- the former Lens, Marseille and Montpellier striker will wait to join Côte d'Ivoire ahead of the World Cup, but is suspended for this first leg for an accumulation of bookings. In his absence, Claude Puel will have to decide among the likes of Sofiane Diop, Tom Louchet and Mohammed Ali-Cho. Elsewhere in the team, despite Coulibaly having impressed, Morgan Sanson is likely to be included ahead of the youngster as Claude Puel opts for an experienced side.
Predicted lineups:
AS Saint-Étienne (4-3-3): Larsonneur; Pedro, Le Cardinal, Bernauer, Old; Boakye, Kanté, Mouffek; Cardona, Stassin, Davitashvili
OGC Nice (3-4-3): Diouf; Mendy, Bah, Oppong; Clauss, Bouadaoui, Louchet, Bard; Sanson, Cho, Diop
