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Kick-off: Saturday, 19 March @16:00 GMT
Venue: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (Saint-Etienne)
Live Stream: fuboTV (US), bet365 (non-US)
Head to head record
Montpellier vs Saint Etienne 1-2 (2015/2016 Ligue 1)
Saint Etienne vs Montpellier 1-0 (2014/2015 Ligue 1)
Montpellier vs Saint Etienne 0-2 (2014/2015 Ligue 1)
Saint Etienne vs Montpellier 2-0 (2013/2014 Ligue 1)
Montpellier vs Saint Etienne 0-1 (2013/2014 Ligue 1)
Saint Etienne vs Montpellier prediction
Saint Etienne will be looking to keep their hopes of making it to the Champions League alive with a win over Montpellier on day 31 of the 2015/2016 Ligue 1 campaign. La Paillade aim to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Nice, but beating les Verts at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is easier said than done.
Lack of confidence
Saint Etienne do not seem to be at the top of their game at the moment. Les Verts have been firing on all cylinders of late and it has to be noted that they failed to score in previous two league matches. Christophe Galtier’s men are on a five-game winless run in Ligue 1 and seeing that they are five points behind the Champions League berth, this has to go down as a must-win game. Saint Etienne aim to stop the run of three games without a win at home ground and they are desperate to run out of the complacency they showed in a 2-0 loss to Guingamp at the weekend. Les Verts are eyeing their eighth home win of the season and given the importance of Sunday’s clash against Montpellier, I am positive that the hosts will leave their hearts on the field this time out.
Robert Beric, Romain Hamouma, Jonathan Brison and Renaud Cohade are all out of contention through injury, but there are no suspended players in the home team.
La Paillade safe for now
Montpellier were in a thrilling form in February, with the team defeating the likes of Toulouse, Angers and Lille in the national championship. Those triumphs helped the team escape the relegation zone and, as things stand now, La Paillade are likely to secure yet another elite division survival. Frederic Hantz’s troops, though, suffered a 2-0 loss to Nice at the weekend and they will be looking to make amends for the defeat when they face Saint Etienne on Sunday afternoon. Montpellier have been impressive on the road of late; La Paillade are on a four-game unbeaten run on the travels and you should bear in mind that they managed to hold PSG to a goalless draw at Parc des Princes in their last away fixture. Fredric Hantz’s troops are 10 points clear of the relegation zone and, taking everything into account, they would be happy with one point from the Saint Etienne game.
Paul Lasne and Geoffrey Jourdren are both sidelined with injury. Both Morgan Sanson and Bryan Dabo are pushing for a start. Coach Frederic Hantz is likely to stick to the 4-4-2 formation.
Quick Facts
- Saint Etienne are on a five-game winless run in Ligue 1
- Les Verts failed to score in previous two league games
- Montpellier recorded their last win at Saint Etienne back in 1995
- Les Verts are eyeing their seventh consecutive win over Montpellier
- La Paillade are on a four-game unbeaten run on the road
Saint Etienne vs Montpellier betting tip
Saint Etienne are desperate to start a new winning run in the national championship and given that Montpellier failed to impress in the 2-0 loss to Nice at the weekend, I believe that home win should be considered this time out. La Paillade suit les Verts and there is every chance the hosts will pick up all three points from the match. When the two teams met at Stade de la Mosson in the reverse fixture Saint Etienne recorded a 2-1 win over Montpellier.
Tip: Saint Etienne to win
Odds: 2.00 (1/1) @Betfair
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