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Kick off: Wednesday, 02 December 2015 @20:00 GMT
Venue: Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Lille)
Head to head record
Saint Etienne vs Lille 2-0 (2014/15 Ligue 1)
Lille vs Saint Etienne 1-1 (2014/15 Ligue 1)
Saint Etienne vs Lille 2-0 (2013/14 Ligue 1)
Lille vs Saint Etienne 1-0 (2013/14 Ligue 1)
Lille vs Saint Etienne 1-1 (2012/13 Ligue 1)
Lille vs Saint Etienne prediction
Lille will welcome Saint Etienne on Wednesday night looking to bounce back from a defeat in the last round against Angers and to earn their first victory under the new man at helm. Saint Etienne will be keen on building upon their comprehensive win over Guingamp and will be very eager to record another positive result.
New coach, new hope?
Lille are sitting just under the relegation line, third from the bottom, with only 14 points after 15 rounds of Ligue 1. Herve Renard paid the ultimate price having been sacked following his team’s disappointing results thus far in the campaign. The club have announced that Frederic Antonetti is the man to succeed at the helm, with the experienced manager coming back to football for the first time since leaving Rennes in 2013. He will be expected to lead Les Dogues to safety and improve the results, which have seen Les Dogues record only two wins so far in the league. His first task will be to improve the scoring exploits as his new team managed only eight goals so far and are the least efficient team in the league. Lille have notched three straight draws before slumping to a 2-0 defeat at Angers in an evenly balanced game with only set pieces making the difference between the two sides. Sofiane Boufal has been the only bright spot in the struggling team this season, but the 22-year-old Morocco midfielder is suspended for the event.
Frederic Antonetti will have to do without his key man, who scored four goals in 12 appearances this term. In addition, defender Civelli will also be unavailable through suspension, while Michael Frey is not expect to return to action until next year.
Saint Etienne need to buy in January
Having opened the new campaign in an admirable fashion, Saint Etienne are now occupying the fifth place in the Ligue 1 standings with 25 points to the name. Tied with Lyon and only a point short of the third-placed Angers, Les Verts have all the chances in the world of getting even further up the ladder. Allowing a lot of goals has been the major problem for Cristophe Galtier’s side this term and Les Verts will need to work on their defensive aspects of the game. Saint Etienne are having certain issues upfront as well as they are left without their key player Robert Beric, who has managed to net three times before picking up an injury that will keep him out of action for the rest of the season. The club will have to be active in the winter transfer window, looking to bolster their attacking options and to find a proper replacement for the 24-year-old Slovenia forward who came to France from Rapid Vienna last summer. Les Verts are coming off from a 3-0 win over Giungamp last time out which was their first win in last four games across competitions, and the visitors will be keen on making another positive result that could do wonders for the team’s morale.
The visiting team will be without their suspended central defender Bayal Sall, while Robert Beric and right back Kevin Theophile-Catherine are injured for the occasion.
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Lille vs Saint Etienne betting tip
Both teams will be without their key men this season and I can see them struggle to make an impact in what is likely to be an evenly-contested affair. Under 2.5 goals is on the cards.
Tip: Under 2.5 goals
Odds: 1.50 (1/2) @BetVictor
