On Tuesday evening (8:30 PM), Red Star hosts Rodez in the Ligue 2 playoffs. The green-and-whites enter the fixture with confidence, still dreaming of promotion to Ligue 1.
The 34th round of Ligue 2 took place on Saturday, but the 2025-26 season isn’t quite over yet. The final spot for the top flight remains undecided. Troyes has already secured the title, Le Mans is waiting for confirmation in second place, and Saint-Étienne is also awaiting its playoff opponent. Before that, a direct elimination clash pits fourth-placed Red Star against fifth-placed Rodez.
“We have to believe in promotion. We shouldn’t be afraid of that. We need to be ambitious. That’s very important to generate energy and cope with the fatigue because it’s a three-match week and it’s special,” said Red Star coach Grégory Poirier.
Just 72 hours after the final regular-season game (a 1-1 draw with Montpellier), the Audonien side welcomes their Ruthénois counterparts to Stade Bauer on Tuesday night. The winner will face Saint-Étienne on Friday, with a potential playoff against the 16th-placed team in Ligue 1 to follow. Red Star, who finished 15th last season and aimed for survival, could now finish much higher.
Confidence is high ahead of the Rodez match at Bauer, where Red Star are unbeaten in six games since a 3-0 loss to Pau on February 6. “It’s such a great celebration that we shouldn’t see it as a bonus. It’s also a challenge and a competition to go after and win,” Poirier added. “We drew 1-1 twice this season, and often within those matches we had one half each. It was really 50-50. We know each other well. We’ll be conquerors, we’ll be in a fight during the match, whether it’s them or us.”
The contest appears evenly matched, but Red Star hold a real advantage by playing at home. “Knowing we only have three days to recover, it’s very, very important to be at home because it avoids travel. Rodez to Paris isn’t exactly next door! There’s only positive in hosting,” Poirier noted.