The French Ligue 1 continues this weekend with the Round 14 matches, and the opening game is set for Friday, November 24th, 2017, when Saint Etienne welcomes Strasbourg at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. In this preview, we’ll take a closer look at these two teams, in order to provide you some interesting betting tips and predictions. So, don’t waste your time and join the action here on GetMoreSports.
SAINT ETIENNE vs. STRASBOURG
3-Way: 1: Saint Etienne +104; X: +260 Draw; 2: Strasbourg +333 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Saint Etienne +102; Strasbourg -106
Total +2.5: Over +112; Under -118
SAINT ETIENNE
The Saints are struggling in the last couple of weeks, trying to find the form from the start of the season, and they even sacked Oscar Garcia from the helm. They have lost three out of the last four Ligue 1 games, including a heavy defeat against Lyon in the 12th round, 5:0, in front of the home fans. Meanwhile, they even lost to Strasbourg on penalties in the French Coupe de la Ligue Round of 32. After the first 13 rounds of the French Ligue 1, Saint Etienne is sitting at the seventh spot with 18 points, a 14:18 goal difference, and a 5-3-5 record. At home, they have earned 11 points with a 10:10 goal difference, while on the road The Saints have recorded two wins, one draw, and three defeats with a 4:8 goal difference.
In the previous round of the French Ligue 1 The Saints were beaten by Lille on the road, 3:1, showing once more they have some big problems on the defensive line. In the 20th minute of the game, they left Lille’s striker Nicolas Pepe all alone inside the box, who scored the leading goal for the home side after Anwar El-Ghazi’s pinpoint cross. Just before the halftime, The Saints leveled the match from the penalty kick, after Bryan Dabo was brought down. Jonathan Bamba converted the penalty to score his fifth goal of the season, but it was all we saw from Saint Etienne’s players in this match.
Lille was a better team in the second half and they deservedly took the win, while The Saints looked like a disorganized team without a specific plan how to get a goal. Lille’s second goal was simply unstoppable, but the third came after another lethargic reaction by the defensive line when they allowed Ezequiel Ponce to receive the ball and take the shot from inside the box. The Saints were well-known for their disciplined defensive game and they need to find it again as soon as possible.
The 21-year old winger Jonathan Bamba is the team’s leading scorer with five goals in 11 appearances, while he scored four of them from the penalty spot. The 25-year old midfielder Bryan Dabo is one of the team’s best players this season with two goals and one assist in 10 appearances, but he also recorded five yellow cards so far. There is no player among Saint Etienne’s squad with at least two dishes on the account, while eight different players made one assist each in the previous 13 rounds of the French Ligue 1. Along with defensive issues, Saint Etienne started to show some problems with creativity, especially in the last couple of weeks.
The new manager Julien Sable will have a difficult task to restore the team’s play along with player’s self-confidence. For the next match against Strasbourg, he will be without the centre-back Loic Perrin (calf injury) and the right winger Romain Hamouma (wound), while the defender Leo Lacroix will have to serve the red card suspension.
STRASBOURG
Le Racing has recorded the third victory of the season in the previous round of the French Ligue 1 beating Rennes at home, 2:1, after another strong attacking performance. It was their second win in last five Ligue 1 games, and it seems like they are slowly building the form. After the first 13 rounds of the French Ligue 1, Strasbourg is sitting at the 18th spot with 13 points, a 15:24 goal difference, and a 5-3-5 record. At home, they have earned eight points with an 11:9 goal difference and a 2-2-2 record, while on the road they have recorded one victory, two draws and four losses with a horrible 4:15 goal difference. Le Racing conceded at least a goal in the previous 11 games, so it seems like their main issues are in the defensive line.
Last weekend against Rennes, Strasbourg put on a great attacking display, and they took the lead in the 28th minute when Jeremy Blayac bagged his first goal of the season. Le Racing had a couple of great chances to double the lead in the first half, but they had to wait for the second goal until the 82nd minute when Stephane Bahoken scored a beautiful header after Dimitri Lienard’s brilliant cross. The visitors managed to find the net in the 88th minute, but it was nothing more than a consolation goal, and Le Racing’s fans celebrated another victory at home soil. Strasbourg had the ball on their feet for 51% of the time, and they took 11 shots on Rennes’ goal to get a fully deserved win.
The 26-year old striker Nuno Da Costa is the team’s leading scorer with three goals in eleven appearances, while the midfielder Dimitri Lienard, and the winger Martin Terrier added two goals each. Dimitri Lienard and the right back Lenny Lala are Strasbourg’s best assist-makers with three dishes apiece so far. The team is playing very well at the offensive end, creating 117 scoring chances in the first 13 matches, and only four teams in Ligue 1 created more scoring opportunities than Le Racing. The average passing accuracy of 80% is pretty satisfying, while they took 161 shots on goal in total with 41% of an average shot accuracy.
The manager Thierry Laurey is still without the 23-year old left-back Abdallah Ndour due to a fractured leg, while all his other players are healthy and ready to go.
SAINT ETIENNE vs. STRASBOURG – Match Prediction
The Saints need to reestablish their defensive play if they want to win this one, especially because of the Strasbourg good attacking form. I expect to see a tough battle in the midfield, and I think both teams will start this match patiently. There were a lot of goals in the previous two Saint Etienne’s games, so I think this one will be finished in the under.
MY PICK: Under 2.5 goals (-118)
