ASSE’s Squad Ahead of the 7th Round of the Coupe de France: New Faces Emerge

by Romain A.November 15, 2023

ASSE Faces Bourg in the 7th Round of the French Cup

AS Saint-Étienne (ASSE) will travel to Bourg this Saturday at 1:45 p.m. for the 7th round of the French Cup. However, this match coincides with an international break, resulting in a significant reduction in Laurent Batlles’ squad. With only 16 players currently available, two new faces are expected to make an appearance.

Possible Absences of Pétrot and Cafaro

Léo Pétrot and Mathieu Cafaro were absent from yesterday’s training session and were also not present in the club photos taken three days before the match. This raises concerns about their availability for the upcoming game.

Young Talents Join Training

During Tuesday’s training session, the coaching staff of Saint-Étienne decided to include three young players in the training. Among them, Cheikh Fall and Antoine Gauthier have already gained some experience playing with the senior team.

However, their chances of playing in the match are uncertain due to the competition in the midfield, with players like Thomas Monconduit, Victor Lobry, Florian Tardieu, Dylan Chambost, and Lamine Fomba vying for a spot. It seems unlikely for Laurent Batlles to field two additional midfielders.

Reserve Players Called Up

Considering the potentially serious absences of Pétrot and Cafaro, Laurent Batlles might have to do without them. Two regular players from the reserve team, Beres Owusu and Darling Bladi, have been called up for today’s training session.

Owusu occasionally trains with the L2 group and was part of the 19-man squad against Angers, although he didn’t feature in the match. As a versatile defender, he can play in any position in the backline and is an integral member of the reserve team.

Bladi, on the other hand, is a left-sided player who started as a left winger before transitioning to a left back. This is one of his first training sessions with the senior team. Born in 2004, he could seize the opportunity in the absence of Léo Pétrot to join the squad.

The composition of the squad for the weekend is still uncertain. If all available players are fit, only two young talents will be included. However, if Pétrot and Cafaro are unavailable, four new faces will make the trip to Ain.

Furthermore, young winger Meivyn Agesilas was present at yesterday’s training session and continues to be part of the team today. He is likely to train until the weekend and appears to be the preferred attacking option over El Hadji Dieye.

More information is expected to be revealed during the press conference scheduled for Thursday at midday. Coach Batlles is expected to clarify the availability of each player.

Photo credit: asse.fr