Saint-Etienne welcome Monaco to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard for Saturday’s French Ligue 1 clash. Both sides are aiming for strong finishes at opposite ends of the table but the visitors’ superior quality should give them the edge.
Saint-Etienne arrive for this clash after a 3-1 league defeat at Strasbourg, a result that leaves them deep in relegation trouble, three points from safety. Eirik Horneland's men are now winless in 13 of their last 15 matches and must turn things around to boost their hopes of survival.
Defending has been a problem for Saint-Etienne, who recently suffered a 6-1 home defeat to PSG. However, they often hold their own going forward and have played out 3-3 home draws with Angers and Brest and also claimed a 2-1 victory over Lyon in their previous fixture at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Monaco are still gunning for a top three finish as they sit just one point off third-placed Lille. They head into this fixture unbeaten in seven of their last eight league matches, playing a 1-1 draw at Le Havre in their previous fixture.
Like the hosts, Monaco often show their attacking quality while also looking vulnerable at the back. Adi Hutter’s men have scored in their last eight Ligue 1 away matches while also conceding in seven of those fixtures.
How the bookies view it: Monaco overwhelming favourites
Monaco have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies with BoyleSports offering odds of 4/11 for an away win. Saint-Etienne are considered outsiders at home at 9/2 while a draw has been set 15/4.
Head to head: Slight edge for Monaco
Monaco have a 15-14 edge, with 13 draws from 42 previous matches against Saint-Etienne. The visitors have won the last four meetings, including a 1-0 home victory in the reverse fixture and a 4-1 thrashing on their last visit to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Players to watch: Reliable Biereth
Mika Biereth has scored 13 league goals since joining in January and will be the one to watch on Saturday. The striker is priced at odds of 5/6 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet.
Saint-Etienne will look to top scorer Lucas Stassin, who has 12 Ligue 1 goals this season. The forward has been red hot lately, with nine goals in the last 10 league matches and is priced at 5/2 by BoyleSports to maintain his scoring run.
Probable line-ups
Saint-Etienne will be without Buduka Batubinsika, Benjamin Bouchouari and Augustine Boakye due to several knocks. However, Stassin, Zuriko Davitashvili and Pierre Ekwah are all expected to retain their spots in the line-up.
Aleksandr Golovin is out injured for Monaco while Mamadou Camara is suspended. However, Biereth, Breel Embolo and Eliesse Ben Seghir are all expected to start.
St Etienne: Larsonneur, Appiah, Bernauer, Nade, Perot, Moueffek, Ekwah, Tardieu, Cardona, Stassin, Davitashvili
Monaco: Kohn, Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Henrique, Zakaria, Musrati, Akliouche, Embolo, Ben Seghir, Biereth
Anything else catch the eye?
Six of Saint-Etienne's last 10 matches have produced over 3.5 goals and with four of the last five meetings with Monaco offering up a similar outcome, a repeat is expected at 4/5 with BoyleSports. Four of the home team's last five home matches have had over 1.5 goals in the first half, which is priced at 10/11 with BoyleSports.
Both sides carry attacking threat, so goals at both ends look likely. With Monaco expected to come out on top, a win and both teams to score offers more value at 13/10 with BoyleSports.
This French Ligue 1 match between Saint-Etienne and Monaco will be played on and kick off at 20:05. Check below for our tipsters best Saint-Etienne vs Monaco prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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