UEFA Cup Preview: St Etienne - Valencia

Done, But Not Dusted

The final round of matches in Group G will pit the top two teams in the table. Both St Etienne and Valencia may have already booked their ticket to the last 32 of the UEFA Cup, but both sides will still be jostling for the best positions.

Final standings in the group will be extremely crucial for teams to secure an advantage in the knockout phase. Group winners will have the easy task of taking on opponents who finish third in the other sections, but runners-up will have to face-off against teams who qualified for the competition via the Champions League.

Les Verts will confirm top spot in the group with a draw and even if they lose, they will finish no lower than second. But for Los Che, they need to win at the Geoffroy-Guichard to advance as group winners. A defeat, or even a tie, could see them qualify in third place, which may not necessarily be a bad thing as they will avoid the likes of Fiorentina, Werder Bremen and Zenit St Petersburg in the round of 32.    

Selection Dilemma

St Etienne have been impressive in the UEFA Cup, easily coasting to the top of the section with commanding wins over Rosenborg and København. But their domestic form has been woeful. Currently languishing in 17th place in the French league, they are only a hazardous two points clear of the relegation zone.

Coach Alain Perrin will have to make the tough decision whether to rest his key players to focus on Ligue 1 duties, or send out a decently strong first team to face their Spanish counterparts to avoid finishing second and having to meet a Champions League opponent.

Valencia coach, Unai Emery, on the other hand, looks most likely to field an understrength team, for a number of reasons. He will be eager to give his fringe players a run-out to test his squad depth. With the January transfer window coming up, the Basque-born trainer could use this match to gauge which department in his team needs reinforcement, as they prepare to compete in the business end of three tournaments.

One of those is, of course, the title race in La Liga. Sitting in second spot in the standings, Los Che are, however, a massive eight points behind leaders Barcelona. But more crucially, they have an intriguing battle with fierce rivals, Real Madrid this weekend and Emery will be out to make sure his best players stay fresh and fit.

FORM GUIDE

St. Etienne

Dec 13 Toulouse 3-1 St. Etienne (LIGUE 1)

Dec 06 St. Etienne 2-0 Le Havre (LIGUE 1)

Nov 30 Nancy 1-2 St. Etienne (LIGUE 1)

Nov 27 Club Brugge 1-1 St. Etienne (UEFA CUP)

Nov 22 St. Etienne 0-1 Nice (LIGUE 1)

Valencia

Dec 13 Valencia 2-1 Espanyol (LA LIGA)

Dec 06 Barcelona 4-0 Valencia (LA LIGA)

Dec 04 Valencia 1-1 Club Brugge (UEFA CUP)

Nov 30 Valencia 3-2 Real Betis (LA LIGA)

Nov 27 Rosenborg BK 0-4 Valencia (UEFA CUP)

TEAM NEWS

St. Etienne

Midfielder Yohan Hautcoeur has failed to make the squad after failing to regain full fitness following an injury. Youngsters Lounis Lanseur and Joshua Guilavogui have been called-up and they could be given some valuable playing experience.

Probable Starting XI (4-4-2): Viviani – Varrault, Tavlaridis, Benalouane, Sauget – Paulo Machado, Dernis, Matuidi, Payet – Mirallas/Gomis, Ilan

Valencia

Emery has taken a fairly strong squad with him to France. Alexis, Edu Miguel Angel Angulo and Pablo Hernandez are all omitted due to injury while Emiliano Moretti has been overlooked for technical reasons.

The two surprise inclusions are defender Curro Torres and winger David Silva, both of whom have just returned from a long lay-off. The latter could be given some significant playing time as he attempts to regain some match fitness ahead of the Real Madrid clash.

Probable Starting XI (4-4-1-1): Guaita – Miguel, Marchena, Curro Torres, Del Horno – Joaquin, Baraja, Maduro, Silva – Viana – Morientes 

PREDICTION

While Valencia may have shown glimpses of brilliance in La Liga, they have not been too convincing in Europe. Other than the 4-0 trouncing of Rosenborg, they have only managed two 1-1 draws. And with the distraction of a big league game coming up, they are unlikely to put on a show against St Etienne.

It is difficult to say if both teams will go at it at full throttle. The Spaniards are certainly in more of a need to get a result, but the French will not relinquish top spot so easily.

St Etienne 1-1 Valencia

KS Leong, Goal.com