Jordan Ayew Benched as Lorient Face Saint-Étienne in Coupe de la Ligue Clash
Ghanaian international Jordan Ayew will begin Lorient’s Coupe de la Ligue Round of 16 tie against AS Saint-Étienne on the bench, as coach Sylvain Ripoll opts for a different attacking setup in the knockout fixture.
Ayew, one of Lorient’s most prominent attacking players, has been dropped to the substitutes’ bench in favour of Benjamin Jeannot, who gets the nod up front. Lorient will be looking for a strong performance as they aim to progress in the domestic cup competition.
The match, set for Wednesday evening, will also see tactical adjustments from Saint-Étienne manager Christophe Galtier, who starts Paul Baysse in central defence. Interestingly, Florentin Pogba has been shifted to right-back, a less familiar position for the Guinean defender and brother of France international Paul Pogba.
🔵 Lorient Starting XI:
Chaigneau – Pedrinho, Wachter, Lautoa, Guerreiro – Autret, Coutadeur, Bellugou, Pelé – Diallo, Jeannot.
Substitutes: Audard, Gassama, Lavenant, Reale, Ayew, Robert, Traoré.
🟢 Saint-Étienne Starting XI:
Ruffier – Pogba, Baysse, Perrin, Tabanou – Clément, Lemoine – Hamouma, Monnet-Paquet, Gradel – Van Wolfswinkel.
Substitutes: Moulin, Théophile-Catherine, Brison, Corgnet, Cohade, Mollo, Saint-Maximin.
Lorient, currently battling for consistency in Ligue 1, will hope their squad rotation pays off. Ayew’s absence from the starting lineup may raise eyebrows, but his presence on the bench offers Ripoll a strong attacking option should the match require a second-half spark.
