Coach Alain Perrin is urging AS Saint-Etienne to "honour the shirt and fight" as they look to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home to Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday – a game in which he may not even field a full-strength side.One-night reprieve
Les Verts' European adventure has provided a stark contrast with their difficult campaign in Ligue 1, where a last-gasp goal conceded at neighbours Grenoble Foot 38 on Sunday put them back in the relegation zone, in 18th place in the 20-team division. However, Perrin hopes such concerns will be forgotten for the night as Bremen visit the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Efficiency required
Last week's defeat in Germany was St-Etienne's first loss in continental competition since 1982, though the coach was not disheartened. "The 1-0 scoreline leaves us a chance, but we'll have to be clinical and convert our opportunities while not conceding," he said. "Werder are strong. It will be a tough game but we'll look to honour the shirt and fight to go through."
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Doubtful list
Nonetheless, there are suggestions Perrin may choose to rest key players ahead of Saturday's crucial match at FC Lorient, while striker Emmanuel Rivière and midfielder Mouhamadou Dabo picked up injuries against Grenoble to join Cédric Varrault (thigh), Geoffrey Dernis (groin) and Dimitri Payet (knee) on the doubtful list.
Mertesacker returns
Better news is that defender Sylvain Monsoreau returns from injury and Sébastien Grax could also feature in a hungry young lineup. Bremen, meanwhile, have Per Mertesacker available after he skipped the weekend's 4-0 win against VfB Stuttgart because of flu. Petri Pasanen (ankle), Daniel Jensen (nose) and Clemens Fritz (flu) are out, while Frank Baumann is suspended.
Bremen resurgent
The mauling of Stuttgart marked Bremen's fourth successive shutout, lending coach Thomas Schaaf real belief in what has been an up-and-down campaign for the Bundesliga's tenth-placed team. "Now the players have more confidence in the things we are working on every day." Midfielder Diego added: "Thomas Schaaf has told us time and again to work together as a team. We have worked on that and are now reaping the rewards."
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