Tonight will see some nail-biting action in Ligue 2 BKT as Saint-Étienne and Angers battle it out on the final day for the second direct promotion position to Ligue 1. Who will join Auxerre in the French elite next season?
By the end of this Friday evening, we'll know 17 out of the 18 teams who will play in Ligue 1 next season. After Auxerre earned promotion back to the first tier at the first time of asking, Saint-Étienne and Angers are fighting it out for the second promotion spot on the final matchday of the Ligue 2 BKT season.
This evening Angers will host Dunkerque, whilst Saint-Étienne make the trip north to Quevilly Rouen. Les Verts will no longer have their fate in their own hands, after two costly draws against Rodez and Guingamp put their promotion rivals in the hot-seat on Friday evening. If France's second-most successful Ligue 1 side are to get back to the big time, they will need Angers to stumble...
What are the permutations for promotion to Ligue 1?
The equation tonight in the second tier is relatively simple: SCO Angers need to avoid defeat to 16th-placed Dunkerque, whilst Saint-Étienne must win at Quevilly Rouen (19th and already relegated to the FFF Championnat National).
"First we have to beat QRM. (...) We'll keep abreast of the Angers result, but we won't be focusing on that all the time," said Sainté coach Olivier Dall'Oglio during his pre-match press conference.
ASSE will have to rely upon a slip-up from Angers at home. Les Angevins have won two games in a row since their last loss to Paris FC at the end of April, the latest coming in the dying seconds against FC Annecy (1-2) thanks to an injury-time goal from Loïs Diony.
WATCH: Auxerre seal Ligue 2 title, Angers close in on promotion
"The journey is very important and the destination is potentially wonderful," said Angers coach Alexandre Dujeux before the vital match. "At the start of the season, we didn't really know what this group was going to be able to achieve. It was a real battle and we've managed to get going again in the last few games. We're getting ready, and while we have to be aware of what's at stake in this match, we can't afford to make any mistakes."
