PARIS (AFP) – Two of France’s great footballing institutions stand on the brink of relegation from Ligue 1 with Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne sitting in the bottom two before today’s final matches of the season.
For Bordeaux the game is effectively up already, as they sit three points adrift of Metz in the relegation play-off place and with a considerably worse goal difference.
A win away at mid-table Brest would be unlikely to save them even if other results go their way.
Saint-Etienne are level on points with Metz and trail them by just six goals, meaning there is still greater hope.
They go to French Cup winners Nantes today, while Metz must go to champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Whoever finishes third-bottom will have another chance to secure top-flight survival in a play-off against the winner of the Ligue 2 play-off between Auxerre and Sochaux.
This has been coming for Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne, two iconic clubs with 16 league titles between them.
Bordeaux were champions as recently as 2009 and Champions League quarter-finalists the following year, but decline soon set in despite a move to a new stadium in 2015.