Introducing: AS Saint-Etienne

Find out more about AS Saint-Etienne, the French club who visit Old Trafford on Thursday for the first leg of our Europa League Round of 32 clash...

The club was founded in the former industrial and mining city of Saint-Etienne in 1919 by employees of the local grocery store chain Groupe Casino, adopting their primary colour of green. Les Verts took on their current name – Association Sportive de Saint-Etienne – in 1933 when the club turned professional.

GLORY YEARS

Saint-Etienne earned promotion to the First Division in 1938 under Scottish coach William Duckworth, marking the first step toward a long series of successes. They won their first domestic league title in 1957 and clinched nine other league triumphs in the space of 24 years. 

With seven and six league titles respectively, local rivals Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain’s recent domestic domination has not endangered Saint-Etienne’s record in the French top flight (10 titles), so this week's clash is between the most successful league teams on both sides of the Channel.

EUROPEAN HIGH

Saint-Etienne's history in Europe is not as successful as United’s, though they reached a European Cup final they lost 1-0 against Bayern Munich in 1976. It was the climax of what became known as 'The Greens' epic journey', a successful continental season celebrated with a parade up the Champs-Elysees in Paris, despite the defeat in Glasgow. 

This event partly explains why Saint-Etienne remain one of the best-supported teams in France, with supporters’ clubs spread out all over the country and the fans in the Kops of Stade Geoffroy Guichard being renowned for their noisy and lively continuous support during home and away matches.

'THE LIVERPOOL OF FRENCH FOOTBALL'

So, which English club would Saint-Etienne compare themselves to? In a recent interview, Les Verts' coach Christophe Galtier suggested his team were similar to Liverpool, saying: "I spent some time in Liverpool and I know the club’s history. We are like each other in terms of spirit and values. We are one of the few teams in Europe called by our colour. People rarely say 'Saint-Etienne', they say 'Les Verts'. It is the same with Liverpool – people say 'the Reds'. The green colour is very important and we have a responsibility, a duty when we wear this shirt."

PREVIOUS MEETING

United and Saint-Etienne have met just once before, in the first round of the 1977/78 European Cup Winners' Cup. Dave Sexton's United earned a 1-1 draw in the first leg in France and won the return fixture 2-0, with Stuart Pearson and Steve Coppell scoring the goals. United were forced to play that 'home' leg at a neutral venue – Plymouth's Home Park – following crowd trouble in France.

FORM GUIDE

Though Les Verts have lost on all three of their previous trips to England, they are unbeaten in 10 European matches this season, including their qualifiers, and brilliantly won at Anderlecht on matchday six to clinch top spot in their group.

Galtier, who is the second longest-serving manager in Europe’s top leagues behind Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, has revived Saint-Etienne's fortunes since taking over in December 2009, with the team finishing consistently in the top six in Ligue 1 since 2012/13.

The current season started slowly but they lie in fifth place after some good results against the top teams, including a draw at Paris Saint-Germain, a draw against Monaco and a victory over Lyon. They boast the second best defence in the league with only 19 goals conceded.

KEY MEN

Stephane Ruffier has been arguably the best French goalkeeper over the last year. He returned from injury in Sunday's 4-0 victory over Lorient and is therefore likely to face United at Old Trafford.

Long-standing captain Loic Perrin is an academy product renowned for his positioning and passing skills, and is a real threat at corners. The 31-year-old midfielder-turned-defender played his first senior match for Saint-Etienne in 2003. Other defensive regulars include attack-minded right-back Kevin Malcuit, Switzerland centre-back Leo Lacroix and Florentin Pogba, elder brother of Paul.

Norway's holding midfielder Ole Selnaes is a presence in front of the defence, while Henri Saivet, who is back from the Africa Cup of Nations after his Senegal team lost against eventual winners Cameroon in the quarter-finals, brings creativity and technical skill in Les Verts’ usual 4-3-3. Romain Hamouma, a winger, is Saint-Etienne’s top scorer in the French first division this season with six goals.

Credit: Manutd.com