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Action continues in France’s Ligue 1 this weekend, and on Sunday, Saint-Etienne face off with Montpellier in an intriguing fixture.
Just one league place separates these two sides, and neither of the two have won a game since September. That means that the stakes will be high at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Saint-Etienne vs Montpellier Head-to-Head
After a strong start to the current campaign that saw them win their first three games, the form of Saint-Etienne has fallen off a cliff. Their last victory came over Marseille on September 17, and they’ve now lost their last four games. More worryingly, they’ve scored just one goal in the month of October.
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Montpellier, meanwhile, have had problems of their own. They have followed three wins in September with none in four games, and last weekend saw them hammered 4-0 by Reims at home. Like their opponents this weekend, Montpellier scored just one goal in October.
Last season saw Montpellier come out on top in the fixtures between the two. They secured a 0-0 draw at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, and then won 1-0 in February at the Stade de la Mosson.
Saint-Etienne form guide: D-L-L-L-L
Montpellier form guide: W-D-L-D-L
Saint-Etienne vs Montpellier Team News
Saint-Etienne have a number of injuries to contend with. Gabriel Silva, Charles Abi, Yvann Macon, Ryad Boudebouz and Miguel Trauco are all sidelined, while this weekend’s game will likely come too early for Mathieu Debuchy and Arnaud Nordin. Harold Moukoudi has reportedly recovered from COVID-19, but remains a doubt.
Injured: Gabriel Silva, Charles Abi, Yvann Macon, Miguel Trauco, Ryad Boudebouz
Doubtful: Mathieu Debuchy, Arnaud Nordin, Harold Moukoudi
Suspended: None
Poor discipline is responsible for Montpellier’s squad issues ahead of this game. They have four players suspended – Teji Savanier, Hilton, Arnaud Souquet and Damien Le Tallec. Goalkeeper Jonas Omlin is unavailable due to injury, while Pedro Mendes and Mihailo Ristic are both doubts.
Injured: Jonas Omlin
Doubtful: Pedro Mendes, Mihailo Ristic
Suspended: Teji Savanier, Hilton, Arnaud Souquet, Damien Le Tallec
Saint-Etienne vs Montpellier Predicted XI
Saint-Etienne predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Jessy Moulin, Alpha Sissoko, Panatiotis Retsos, Timothee Kolodziejczak, Aimen Moueffek, Mahdi Camara, Yvan Neyou, Kevin Monnet-Paquet, Adil Aouchiche, Denis Bouanga, Romain Hamouma
Montpellier predicted XI (3-4-3): Dimitry Bertaud, Clement Vidal, Daniel Congre, Nicolas Cozza, Junior Sambia, Jordan Ferri, Joris Chotard, Ambroise Oyongo, Gaetan Laborde, Andy Delort, Stephy Mavididi
Saint-Etienne vs Montpellier Prediction
This is a tricky match to call due to the poor form of both sides in recent matches. However, Montpellier are without four usual starters due to suspension, and have a diabolical away record – they have yet to win an away game this season.
Given that they were also hammered 4-0 in their last game and they don’t have a strong defence, their confidence may be at a record low. With all of that in mind, this seems like an excellent opportunity for Saint-Etienne to break their losing streak and pick up a much-needed win.
Prediction: Saint-Etienne 2-1 Montpellier
