Post written by Siavoush Fallahi:
Inter travel to France to face French side Saint-Ètienne away in the Europa League tonight. Inter is currently unbeaten in group F and tops the group with seven points. The French side managed to get a point at San Siro after a good performance and they are currently in third place in the group. St Etienne will be aiming to get away with at least a draw in front of their fans against an Inter that hasn’t exactly scared any opponents lately. While the teams prepare for the game on the pitch, the French police is in stand by for a potential high risk match due to the rivalry between the supporters.. The Inter fans have strong ties with Saint-Ètienne’s main rival Nice. Two weeks ago when the teams faced off at San Siro, eight Saint-Ètienne supporters received four year bans from European competitions after wreaking havoc in Milan. According to Italian media 21 busses filled with Inter Supporters left Milan to attend tonight’s game and amongst those there will also be Nice supporters who will support their friends against their rivals. On Wednesday night the Inter players and staff received a hint of what the atmosphere will be like at the stadium as flares and fireworks exploded just outside the hotel where the Italian team stays. Saint-Ètienne’s stadium Geoffroy Guichard is also called the cauldron. The name was given by local journalists after a magical European night on the 6th of November 1974 where Saint Ètienne turned a 1-4 loss against Hajduk Split around by winning the the return leg with 5-1 at home. The atmosphere created by the supporters that night gave the stadium its nickname and on the 30thanniversary of the game against Hajduk Split, Saint-Ètienne prepares to face Internazionale from Milano on the pitch. Off the pitch local police forces prepare to what might become a tense night as rival supporters will fill the ‘cauldron’ to see their teams play.
Written by: Siavoush Fallahi, join the discussion during the game on twitter!
