Saint-Etienne vs Nice preview - Galtier sounds rallying cry

St Etienne head coach Christophe Galtier has called on his players to finish the season strongly and secure fourth spot ahead of Marseille.

Galtier accused his players of striving for individual rather than collective glory when they crashed to a 1-0 defeat at strugglers Bastia last weekend to suffer their first Ligue 1 defeat in 10 games.

The loss also ended St Etienne's week-long stay in fourth and Galtier is calling for a response starting on Sunday when Les Verts host Nice at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

Marseille are only ahead of St Etienne in the table on goal difference with three games to go and the team that finishes the season in fourth will qualify for the group stages of next season's Europa League competition.

Galtier is keen to achieve the feat ahead of Marseille, a club he has played for and managed, and insists his St Etienne team are ready for the fight.

"Technically, tactically and mentally, we are focused on what it will take to win (against Nice)," the 48-year-old former defender told his club's official website.

"We need a win to hope to qualify for Europe. If we earn lots of points at home, we will have more chances of finishing fourth.

"It (fourth) is important for the future, for next season. It will give direct access to the group stages of the Europa League, which would mean a normal recovery and a vacation for everyone.

"It is a real goal. Many clubs want that fourth place. We will fight."

Nice, meanwhile, have won just two of their last 13 Ligue 1 matches and have yet to guarantee their top-flight safety after drawing at home against Caen last time out.

Les Aiglons are currently 13th with a five-point buffer between them and the drop zone but a third victory in four away games could guarantee their safety if results go their way elsewhere.

"It's not a bad point, but we wanted to win to be able to breathe more easily," midfielder Eric Bautheac said after last Saturday's stalemate.

"It's hard for us to let ourselves go at home, we play only in patches. We aren't able to bring matches to life. We play with greater freedom away from home."