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Saint-Etienne and Lorient open their Ligue 1 campaign on Sunday when they square off at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.
The hosts secured an 11th-placed finish last season, while the hosts finished in 16th place, two points above the relegation playoff place.
Saint-Etienne failed to end their pre-season on a high note as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday.
Les Verts raced to a two-goal lead through Christopher Lenz and Rafael Santos Borré before Timothée Kolodziejczak pulled one back in the 74th minute.
It was the third straight defeat for Claude Puel’s men who were beaten 3-2 by newly-promoted Clermont Foot before losing 2-1 against Olympique Marseille.
Saint-Etienne have picked up just one win from their last eight outings and will look to quickly end this poor form.
In contrast, Lorient enjoyed a superb pre-season run, picking up three wins and two draws from their five games.
Lorient wrapped up the pre-season with a hard-earned 1-0 win over league rivals Angers.
In a cagey affair at the Stade Yves Allainmat-Le Moustoir, Nigerian forward Terem Moffi scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute.
This followed a 1-0 win over FC Nantes at the Stade de la Beaujoire two Wednesdays ago.
Head coach Christophe Pélissier will hope his side can maintain this fine form and grab a dream start to their Ligue 1 season.
Saint-Etienne vs Lorient Head-To-Head
The results have been split right down the middle between the two sides. Saint-Etienne and Lorient have both picked up 13 wins, while seven games have ended in draws.
Saint-Etienne Form Guide: D-W-L-L-L
Lorient Form Guide: D-W-D-W-W
Saint-Etienne vs Lorient Team News
Saint-Etienne
Defender Yvann Macon is a doubt for the hosts as he inches closer to making his return from a lengthy ACL injury.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Yvann Macon
Suspended: None
Lorient
Lorient will be without the services of Stephane Diarra (Thigh), Quentin Boisgard (Illness) and Loris Mouyokolo (Ankle) due to injuries.
Injured: Stephane Diarra, Quentin Boisgard, Loris Mouyokolo
Suspended: None
Saint-Etienne vs Lorient Predicted XI
Saint-Etienne Predicted XI (4-4-2): Etienne Green; Yvann Maçon, Mickael Nade, Harold Moukoudi, Timothée Kolodziejczak; Adil Aouchiche, Zaydou Youssouf, Mahdi Camara, Yvan Neyou; Wahbi Khazri, Charles Abi
Lorient Predicted XI (4-4-2): Paul Nardi; Houboulang Mendes, Julien Laporte, Jérémy Morel, Vincent Le Goff; Jérôme Hergault, Laurent Abergel, Fabien Lemoine, Quentin Boisgard; Armand Lauriente, Terem Moffi
Saint-Etienne vs Lorient Prédiction
Looking at past meetings between the two sides, we expect an entertaining and nail-biting contest on Sunday. The visitors have shown real promise following their impressive pre-season run.
We predict Lorient will claim the win as they take on a struggling Saint-Etienne side.
Prediction: Saint-Etienne 1-2 Lorient
