Saint-Etienne vs Nice: The Eagles will improve their chances

Saint-Etienne have beaten Nice on home soil five times in the last five years, but the Greens are not currently considered favourites to meet in person, even at home. Should we believe the statistics and bet on the home side?

St Etienne have suffered four straight defeats in Ligue 1, relegating them to 19th place. First of all, the defense suffered a defeat, while the lack of goalscoring hampered the attacking side. Wahbi Khazri has had a good season so far, and with three goals, he is the team’s top scorer. He was sorely missed in Ligue 1 last season, and now the attacking leader could do with some help from his teammates. Ivan Macon, Aimen Moueffek, and Alpha Sissoko are still on the sideline, while goalkeeper Etienne Green will not play due to suspension.

Green’s sending-off in the first half was the main reason for the recent defeat to Monaco (1-3). St-Etienne managed to get back into the game even when outnumbered 0-1, and at the beginning of the second half, Monaco nearly took the lead with a long-range strike by Denis Bouanga. Claude Puel’s side put up a decent defensive performance until the 2nd goal, which was conceded on penalties. In general, The Greens cannot be accused of a lack of character. With ten men, the team put up a decent fight against the medal contender.

The Eagles have a game in hand and are in seventh place in the French championship, and in the last five rounds, they have three wins. The Nice fans themselves have put their club in a difficult situation. A nearly won match against Marseille has been canceled, a re-match, and several games with empty stands ahead. Christophe Galtier has put in a good defensive performance, and the team creates regular chances. On the other hand, injuries are unfortunate, with the attacking line in particular. Justin Kluivert and Kasper Dolberg are sidelined, having already netted a total of four goals. Robson Bambu and Alexis Claude Maurice will also be out due to injuries.

Christophe Galtier’s charges faced Lorient in midweek and lost 0-1. The only goal was conceded following a long-range strike, and, overall, there was little to complain about. Nice tried their best to bounce back, and Andy Delort alone had two opportunities to score. In one episode, the Algerian forward struck an empty net but hit the crossbar. Before that, the team failed to convert another on-target try, with Amine Gouiri conceding a penalty for the 2nd game in a row. The bad luck continued.

Compared to the last face-off between the teams, Nice have undergone a noticeable transformation and are bound to play better than they did eight months ago. Yes, the visitors had serious losses, but despite Dolberg and Kluivert, they attacked well against Lorient. St Etienne’s defence is lagging a lot, while their attacking play is slightly encouraging. The Greens could score more than one goal against Bordeaux at home, and they did well against Monaco in the minority. I propose to bet on the following outcomes:

• Total Over 2.5 goals for 1.76;
• Both Teams To Score - yes and X2 for 2.22;
• Total Over 3.5 goals for 3.14.