Marseille host relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne in a French Ligue 1 fixture on Saturday, aiming to solidify their automatic Champions League push. With their superior quality and form, the home side should be too strong for the struggling visitors.
Marseille come into this clash in good form and are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 Ligue 1 matches. Roberto De Zerbi’s men have seven wins in that run, the latest of which was a 2-0 victory at Angers last weekend.
Currently second in Ligue 1, Marseille are also unbeaten in their last five matches at home. Driven by the impressive Mason Greenwood, they are also among the highest scorers in the league, with a 5-1 victory over Le Havre among their recent results at home.
Meanwhile, Saint-Étienne have been disappointing this season, managing just five wins in 21 league games and failing to secure a victory in their last five outings. They were beaten 2-0 at home by Rennes in their previous Ligue 1 fixture and are currently in the relegation zone.
Even worse for Saint-Etienne is their record on the road having failed to earn a single away win in Ligue 1. Erick Horneland’s men have suffered some heavy defeats on their travels, losing 8-0 to Nice and falling 5-0 at Rennes.
How the bookies view it: Marseille overwhelming favourites
The bookies have installed Marseille as overwhelming favourites, with a home win priced at 1/4 with BoyleSports. An unlikely victory for Saint-Etienne is valued at 15/2 while a draw is set at odds of 9/2 by BoyleSports.
Head to head: Superior Marseille
Marseille have a 27-11 advantage with 11 draws from 49 previous matches with Saint-Etienne. They have also won the last four meetings, including two wins this season, claiming a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture before thrashing their rivals 4-0 in the Coupe de France.
Players to watch: Prolific Greenwood
It has been an impressive first season for Greenwood, who is Marseille’s top scorer with 13 Ligue 1 goals. The forward also found the net in the two previous matches against Saint-Etienne and is priced at 10/11 by BoyleSports to maintain his scoring run.
For all of Saint-Etienne’s troubles this season, Zuriko Davitashvili has managed seven Ligue 1 goals so far. He has also been on target in two of the last three away matches and is priced at 9/2 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet once again.
Probable line-ups
Marseille will be without striker Faris Moumbagna, who remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament tear, while attacking midfielder Valentin Carboni is doubtful. Neal Maypay could be handed a start after scoring off the bench at Angers last weekend.
For Saint-Étienne, midfielder Benjamin Old is ruled out with a lateral knee ligament injury, while Ibrahim Wadji remains sidelined with a muscle issue. Davitashvili should continue in attack while Leo Petrot is set to start at the back.
Marseille: Rulli, Cornelius, Balerdi, Murillo, Merlin, Højbjerg, Bennacer, Henrique; Rabiot; Maupay, Greenwood
Saint-Etienne: Larsonneur, Appiah, Petrot, Nade, Cornud; Bouchouari, Ekwah, Mouton, Boakye, Stassin, Davitashvili
Anything else catch the eye?
Marseille have won their last four meetings with Saint-Étienne by a two-goal margin and given the visitors’ struggles, a -1 handicap can be considered at 8/11 with BoyleSports.
The hosts have scored in both halves of the last four meetings against Saint-Etienne and a similar pattern is priced at odds of 4/5 with BoyleSports.
This French Ligue 1 match between Marseille and Saint-Etienne will be played on Feb 15, 2025 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Marseille vs Saint-Etienne prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
