AS Monaco vs St. Etienne Prediction: Monaco will start strong

AS Monaco's opening day assignment of the new season will be against newly-promoted side St. Etienne. Both teams are ready to kick off the new campaign at the Stade Louis II as the battle for match points begins. AS Monaco are obviously favored by the odds, while St. Etienne will work hard to silence their doubters with a good performance. The last time these two met at the Stade Louis II, was back in 2021. AS Monaco won that match 3-1 while St. Etienne were forced to finish the match with 10 men. It's been three years since that encounter, St Etienne are surely going to try to change the narrative in the new season. 

AS Monaco is one of the prominent teams in the Ligue 1. They come into the season, hoping to offer a better challenge to the Ligue 1’s elite team, PSG. AS Monaco will host St. Etienne at the Stade Louis II for the match day 1 of the season, and they will be looking to start off with a win, as they build into the new season.

AS Monaco had a successful 2023/24 season, finishing second on the logs behind PSG meaning they successfully qualified for the UEFA Champions League this season. Their record at the end of last season was: 20 wins, 7 draws and 7 defeats and a total of 67 points.

This season, Monaco will be aiming to claim a top-three finish to put the team into the UEFA Champions League, an outcome crucial for the aspirations of the club both financially and in sporting terms. Under current management, Monaco seems likely to be more attacking, seeking to stretch their opponents through pure pace and technicality on the wings. They often play with a high press and rapid transitions. Monaco has shown some defensive vulnerabilities in the past seasons. How they address these issues through probable new defensive signings or tactical adjustments will be the key. Wissam Ben Yedder, above all, is very instrumental for Monaco's attack. He has to maximize his goal scoring ability to help Monaco fight at the very top of the table. Further, Youssouf Fofana is their last man, similarly performing both defensive and attacking roles for Monaco by providing protective coverage in the midfield and also being able to make crucial runs into the box.

Surely a lot of attention will be beaming on the performances of the newly-promoted St. Etienne side as they get ready for the first test of the new campaign. They had been thrusted into a difficult test on day 1 against the second best team in the Ligue 1 last season. St. Etienne will travel to the Stade Louis II to face AS Monaco in the round of 1 of the 2024/25 season.

St. Etienne finished in 3rd place in the Ligue 2 last season. They collected 65 points in 38 games, winning 19 matches, drawing 8 and losing 11. After securing the 3rd spot, they played in 2 promotion playoff matches, beating both Rodez and Metz FC to secure their promotion into the Ligue 1 for the 2024/25 season.

New defensive signings could be influential in finally offering the improvement in the area that is needed. Certainly, having struggled in defence over the past couple of campaigns, Saint-Étienne may look to build a more solid backline over the summer. Saint-Étienne can well be organized in creating counter-attacking, pacey transitions for chances against stronger opposition.

Mid-table comfort and consolidation will be the immediate aim this season at Saint-Étienne, probably looking for consistency in the hope of avoiding any more lasht-up with the rearguard rearview battle that has befallen them over recent campaigns.

This combined with a deep run in the domestic cup competitions, like in the Coupe de France, might offer them a chance to get some silverware and maybe get a way into European football.

In the past 20 meetings, AS Monaco won 8 matches while St. Etienne won 6 and the remaining 6 matches ended in a draw.

H2H Streaks

AS Monaco won 3 consecutive matches

AS Monaco is unbeaten in 4 consecutive matches

St. Etienne is without a clean sheet in 4 consecutive matches

4/5 matches ended with more than 2.5 goals

AS Monaco scored first in 4/5 matches

5/7 matches ended with more than 4.5 cards

7/8 matches ended with less than 10.5 corners

Monaco will be one of the strong Ligue 1 sides this year. At home, they will have the advantage and dominate the ball with their frontmen who can get the better of most defenses. Saint-Étienne may look to play this game very conservatively, primarily defending and trying to profit through counter-attacks or set-pieces. Given that they will probably be a mid-table team at best, they will find Monaco's firepower hard to keep out.

Looking at the attacking force and home advantage, Monaco should record an easy win. Monaco will go through for an easy win, with Saint-Étienne likely to be toothless in front of goal.

• AS Monaco to Win and Under 5.5 Goals at 1.77 Odds
• AS Monaco to Win and Over 1.5 Goals at 1.66 Odds
• AS Monaco to Win and Over 1.5 Goals at 1.66 Odds