Lens vs Saint-Etienne preview - Galtier wants more from St Etienne

Posted Saturday, September 20, 2014 by PA

St Etienne coach Christophe Galtier insists his side must be better with the ball ahead of their Ligue 1 trip to Lens on Sunday.

Galtier's side have had little time to recover following their tiring Europa League journey to Azerbaijan, St Etienne holding Qarabag to a goalless draw on Thursday night.

The St Etienne coach said he was disappointed with "a lack of technical accuracy, especially going forward" after the stalemate.

"I'm not satisfied. We can not be satisfied because we have had the ball but we have not been good in this area," Galtier said.

"This is not a concern, but a statement on the game."

St Etienne have started the domestic season well winning three of their five games, but their only defeat was a 5-0 thrashing to Paris St Germain two weeks ago.

They were back to winning ways against Caen last weekend to move into fourth place in the league, but they will visit a Lens side who have had two wins and a draw from their last three games after losing their opening two matches.

"ASSE is a talented and experienced team," said Lens head coach Antoine Kombouare on the club's official Twitter page.

"On Sunday, it will be a nice contrast between two teams that will go forward.

"But we can compete with ASSE and we really want to win."

Ninth-placed Lens are in the top half of the table after drawing in Bastia last weekend on the back of victories over Reims and Lyon.

"Our strengths are humility and solidarity," goalkeeper Rudy Riou said on the club's official Twitter page.

"After our first two wins, we felt more respect for our opponents. A lot of heart and our youth has been an asset for us."