Aubameyang: St Etienne can fight for title
Saint-Etienne forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hopes his side can emulate champions Montpellier after their great start to the Ligue 1 season.
However, the Gabon international has said he would settle for a place in European competition next season.
Only Paris Saint-Germain's star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored more than Aubameyang's eight goals this season as Les Verts sit fourth in the table, just two points off the top.
Last season saw Montpellier surprise France by beating big-spending PSG to claim their first ever title, with striker Olivier Giroud finishing the season joint-top of the scoring charts.
Saint-Etienne are the only side to have beaten PSG this season and, along with the Paris club, boast the best defensive record in the league. Both sides have conceded just eight goals in 12 league games.
That has led to some pundits tipping Saint-Etienne as potential champions, and Aubameyang is happy to consider that a possibility.
Speaking to L'Equipe after the 2-0 win over Troyes at the weekend, he said: ''Why not us? Montpellier made it happen last year.
"We could have pushed on after our victory in Paris [2-1 at the Parc des Princes the previous week], but we did not. But we know we can rub shoulders with the big teams.
"But qualification for a European competition, something we did not manage to do last season [when they finished seventh] - that would be a good achievement in itself."
