Saint-Étienne without at least six for Guingamp trip in Ligue 2 | OneFootball

Saint-Étienne will travel to Guingamp on Saturday at 20:00 in Ligue 2 without at least six players. According to L'Équipe, new head coach Philippe Montanier will lean on the possible momentum from last weekend’s 1-0 win over Montpellier rather than anticipate returns.

Montanier said no comebacks are expected this week, though some injured players are progressing quicker than planned, including Max Bernauer and Flo Tardieu. He added they hope, with no certainty, that Bernauer could be back before the end of the season, as with others.

On Thursday morning, centre-back Mickaël Nadé and goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur trained indoors, the former feeling minor adductor discomfort and the latter protecting an ankle. Both received treatment and gym work with the aim of being available for the final session and matchday. Young goalkeepers took the heavier workload outside.

Tardieu is on course to rejoin full training next week. That will not be the case for centre-back Chico Lamba, while Mahmoud Jaber will take longer, and Lassana Traoré is also out. Full-back Joao Ferreira remains suspended.

Montanier is focused on rebuilding confidence and structure. He highlighted improved compactness and defensive intensity in his first week in charge. The aim now is better ball retention and greater attacking efficiency.

Source: L'Équipe