Saint-Etienne centre-back Florentin Pogba has insisted that the club are determined to secure another victory over Lyon when the two sides meet in the Derby du Rhone on Sunday.
The rivals are currently joint-second in Ligue 1 and will know that the victors have the chance to move three points clear of the losers in the battle to occupy the runner-up spot behind current runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Saint-Etienne have finished in the top five in France's top flight in each of the last three seasons and Pogba believes the club can now push on and qualify for the Champions League.
"It is true that it was a difficult start to the season, but we then recovered well, we put together a run of wins, and enjoyed a good, long unbeaten run," the Guinea international told beIN Sports. "We will try to climb the table and why not aim for Champions League qualification, and even second place. That is what we are fighting for.
"We know that the derby has a special, particular context, especially for the fans. We know that if there are two matches we have to win this seasons, it is the games against Lyon, home and away.
"[Before last year's 3-0 victory] it had been 20 years since Saint-Etienne had last won at home against Lyon. All the players knew that, so we were very focused, we had to put an end to that difficult home run. These are great moments to live, I hope I can live a lot more of these with Saint-Etienne."
The two sides face off on Sunday night at Stade de Gerland.
Tom Nightingale
