Both Saint-Etienne and Rennes have the chance to prove that they have serious European ambitions on Friday when they meet at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Ligue 1.
Rennes go into the match one point ahead of their hosts and have enjoyed the better recent form with four consecutive wins.
Yann M'Vila and Chris Mavinga are still likely to find themselves dropped for the visitors after they broke club rules while on international duty.
Meanwhile, Jean Mignot, Ismael Diomande and Banel Nicolita all remain sidelined for the hosts through injury.
Recent form:
Saint-Etienne: LDWDWD
Rennes: LDWWWW
Possible lineups:
Saint-Etienne: Ruffier; Clerc, Zouma, Clement, Brison; Perrin, Cohade, Lemoine, Hamouma; Brandao; Aubameyang
Rennes: Costil; Catherine, Apam, Biyik, Jebbour; Pitroipa, Makoun, Alessandrini, Danze; Feret, Erding
Sports Mole says: 1-1