St Etienne vs Lyon preview - Lyon boss: Pressure on St Etienne

Lyon coach Hubert Fournier believes all the pressure is on St Etienne as they face-off in Derby Rhone-Alpes on Sunday.

St Etienne's recent home record against their rivals is appalling with the visitors winning the last eight encounters at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

It is a statistic which is not lost on Hubert.

"The Greens are playing at home," he said in his pre-match press conference.

"It has been some time that they have beaten us there. There is an obligation for them to get a result.

"If we were to prevail, there would be a seven-point gap.

"It's hard to find a favourite in this kind of game."

Milan Bisevac was injured in training but according to Fournier is "progressing well", but Clement Grenier will miss the game while Yoann Gourcuff is also a doubt.

Lyon captain Maxime Gonalons is fit and raring to go. He has never experienced defeat at the Geoffroy-Guichard and the 25-year-old is determined that it won't happen on Sunday.

"It (our record) has been discussed a number of times," he said. "The people of the club also make us recall bits of past matches. There is a responsibility from friends, family, but it gives us strength.

"There is nothing else to think of but winning."

It will be the first Derby Rhone-Alpes experience for Christophe Jallet, but Gonalons is confident the former Paris St Germain's defender's experience will put him in good stead for the match.

"He was made to understand that it was particularly important game," he said. "But he has enough experience and perspective to know - even if the derby is different from a PSG versus OM (Marseille)."

St Etienne come into the game sixth in the table, three places behind their rivals and have drawn their last six consecutive matches.

The Greens are at a possible disadvantage having played in the Europa League on Thursday, but the determination to break their home run is motivation enough according to midfielder Jonathan Brison.

"The whole city is waiting, it is a still intense encounter," Brison told the club's website.

"They had told me when I arrived at the club. For 20 years we have not won at Geoffroy-Guichard. We will be determined to take three points against our rivals."