Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier has insisted that Friday night's league encounter against Rennes will have no bearing on the result when the two sides meet again in the Coupe de la Ligue final in April.
Galtier said that for now his only focus is to try to extend the gap between the two sides in Ligue 1 but refused to get carried away with his side's chances.
"Friday's is a league match with three points at stake," Ligue1.com quotes Galtier as saying. "The objective is to maintain the gap to one of our direct rivals, or even increase it.
"The Coupe de la Ligue final will be a different context and I don't think the winners of Friday's match will have the upper hand for the final. A final is something else.
"Nothing has been decided yet. We are in the same position in the championship as last season at the same time. Last season we we're fourth with 46 points and today we only have one point more. That's the reality of the numbers."
Saint-Etienne would temporarily move above Marseille with victory over Rennes.
Matt Domm
