Saint-Étienne bank on Chaudron roar as Nice visit in play-off first leg | OneFootball

Saint-Étienne will host Nice in Tuesday's play-off first leg at a sold-out Geoffroy-Guichard, banking on the Chaudron's noise to push them towards Ligue 1 after an underwhelming season. According to L'Équipe, the club will again be backed to the hilt.

It is the eighth sell-out of the season, the fourth in a row, with all 38,000 tickets gone and an estimated 500,000 euros before costs. A prefectural order has barred travelling Nice fans, so the LFP and OGC Nice released about 2,000 away-end seats for home sale.

A further 15,000 tickets have already been sold for Sunday's Match des Héros, supporting the fight against ALS.

Saint-Étienne regain Florent Tardieu, one of their leaders. The last promotion drive relied on Anthony Briançon and Thomas Monconduit, and again the crowd will be central.

Among the pilgrims is Glasgow's David Sleight, who fell for the club when the anthem echoed through the city during the 1976 final. He says he returns regularly, including last year's Metz play-off, and is stunned to see them here again given the support and budget.

Julien Le Cardinal says their position matches their season. Coach Philippe Montanier warns they must play at their best, and David says optimism comes naturally but the task against Nice is sizeable.

Source: L'Équipe