Eirik Horneland: ‘We have to fight'

Injury update

Dennis Appiah will not be available for this match. He has played a lot in recent weeks and given a lot of himself but it shouldn't take too long. We'll have to think about Yvann Maçon, who's still struggling with a knee problem, while Aïmen Moueffek is continuing his step-by-step reathletisation. Things are looking good for Maxime Bernauer, but we'll wait for the final session. Finally, we should see Ben Old in a session between now and the beginning of March and in a match at the end of the month. 

This weekend's opponents

Marseille is a very strong team, with a lot of intensity and little respite for their opponents. They take a lot of energy from their opponents by stringing passes together and setting the pace. They have e a very well-organised block. Against them, we have to expect to suffer but we must do everything we can to take our chances. 

The current situation

We're in a difficult situation. I think Saint-Étienne will improve in the future. An ambition like that doesn't just take a few weeks or a few months. It's going to take time, but that doesn't mean we have to suffer every game. We have to fight to win games and I understand that the fans want to see short-term effects. 

A revised philosophy?

We need to keep our ambition for ou specific game plan. We need to build something. We've shown in some difficult matches, in Paris or against Lille at times, that we can rely on this game plan even against these top teams. I want us to be ambitious, because in the long term, we will reap the rewards of this project.