ASSE Thierno Ballo Coupe de France Rumilly-Vallières, Digi Mart USA News: Saint-Étienne will have one fewer absence to worry about as the Greens open their Coupe de France campaign, with forward Thierno Ballo remaining available during the international break in November.
Ballo was not selected by the Austrian national team for its upcoming fixtures, which include two UEFA Nations League matches against Ireland on November 14 and Israel on November 17. The absence is likely to be welcomed by coach Ian Cathro and his staff.
The international break overlaps with Saint-Étienne’s entry into the competition. The club faces Rumilly-Vallières, a National club and 2021 semi-finalist, in the seventh round.
The match is scheduled for Sunday, November 15 at 3 p.m. at the Parc des Sports d’Annecy, and Saint-Étienne will have its striker available.
Ballo was less decisive than at the start of the season, when he impressed with four goals and two assists in the first four matchdays. Since early September, the number 8 has found the net only once, against Rodez on October 10 (2-0).
During the previous international break, he also scored a brace in a friendly against Sion (5-1), while remaining in the Forez region.
Among the internationals leaving Saint-Étienne, which already includes Paalberg and Csongvai and is expected to grow, keeping the Austrian available is a positive development. Facing an opponent that will give everything to upset a historic club, the Greens must approach the Coupe de France opener with full seriousness.
The competition is known for upsets, and Saint-Étienne is aware of this. Since losing the 2020 final to Paris Saint-Germain (0-1), the club has had little success in the tournament.
After returning to Ligue 2 in the 2022-2023 season, they were eliminated in the seventh round by Rodez (Ligue 2) at the Chaudron (0-0, 3-4 on penalties). The following season, after a convincing opening win at Bourg-en-Bresse (0-3), they were knocked out in the next round by Nîmes (National), again at Geoffroy-Guichard (0-1).
In the last campaign, Saint-Étienne reached the round of 32 after a relatively comfortable path against Quetigny (Regional 2, 1-3) and Écot ay (Regional 3, 11-1). They then fell at Nice (Ligue 1, 2-1).
