Saint-Etienne vs Strasbourg Prediction: Strasbourg Eyes Top-5 Leap as Struggling Saint-Etienne Seeks Redemption at Home

Entering the 10th round, Ligue 1 sees Saint-Etienne host Strasbourg at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium, where the former sits uncomfortably in 16th position. While Saint-Etienne has fought for consistency under Coach Olivier Dall'Oglio, Strasbourg, managed by Liam Rosenior, has enjoyed a steady mid-table place and may inch closer to the top five with a win. Saint-Etienne come into this game on the back of a 4-2 loss to Angers, a match where defensive frailties were exposed once again. Strasbourg, though, arrive with more confidence, having defeated Nantes 3-1 last weekend. It should be an intense match, given both teams like to play openly and create scoring chances.

So far, Saint-Etienne's season has been bedeviled by defensive mishaps and an inability to hold onto leads, further dramatized by the fact that they've conceded the opening goal in eight of ten games. This fragility was encapsulated by their 4-2 defeat at Angers, where they leaked four goals despite controlling large swathes of the game. Employing a 4-1-4-1 system, Dall'Oglio is seeking a balance between possession-based play and defensive solidity; this often hasn't happened. Statistics tell the story, as Saint-Etienne has conceded 5 goals in their last five games and kept only one clean sheet this season. In theSaint-Etienne 4-1-4-1 formation, it is important to keep stability in midfield and apply high pressing for ball retention.

Defensively, the organisation remains the weakness as well, because despite the average of 58% of possession, often the dominance is not turned into goalscoring opportunities. Dall'Oglio will most likely instruct his side to begin conservatively in order to avoid early mistakes. The team will be dependent on wide players for crosses into the box, but the finishings and composure have been inconsistent. Discipline will also be another emphasis, with Saint-Etienne having taken their fair share of yellow and red cards in the season thus far. This could become something working against them should things get chippy.

Meanwhile, Strasbourg are in good shape with just one defeat in the last five games. Their recent success in the game against Nantes showed a good ability to finish and some solid midfield interactions. Dilane Bakwa was very lively up front. The tactical flexibility of Rosenior's 3-4-1-2 setup has caused several problems to quite a few opponents so far during their attempts to break down the Strasbourg defense.

The system of 3-4-1-2 of Strasbourg lays in the balanced structure that can change very fast, enabling them to switch from defense to attack. The men of Rosenior know how to catch on the break and are very capable of using their central midfield area to drive the forward play. The wing-backs are one of the keys not only in providing width but also in supporting the counter-attacks. That is dangerous in transition. Though far from leak-tight, Strasbourg's defense has been more organized than Saint-Etienne's; the frequency at which they fashion big chances speaks to a clinical edge that has been an important separator in their current standing.

Saint-Etienne and Strasbourg's history is about as even as can get, with both teams picking up six wins each and another six draws in their past matches against one another. Their last meeting, in February 2022, finished 2-2-a result very indicative of their history that tends to be back-and-forth and high-scoring. Strasbourg have arrived unbeaten in their last three matches against Saint-Etienne, and the fixture has quite regularly witnessed each side scoring, showcasing how open the game could be.

In form, Strasbourg is the marginal favorite here, with neither side displaying particularly great tendencies in terms of keeping clean sheets, which will be quite an unpredictable encounter. Defensive vulnerabilities and conceding first for Saint-Etienne put the team at a disadvantage. Where Strasbourg has an advantage is having a more stable midfield, on form. Saint-Etienne do have the home advantage and need the points badly, they might press aggressively to try and get their first goal of the game instead of conceding for a run of games.

Coming off that recent victory over Nantes, where they were really clinical, it would appear that the man-of-the-match Dilane Bakwa was instrumental in the creation and finishing of both goals, meaning they have the firepower to test Saint-Etienne's backline.

• Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.738 Odds
• GG (yes) @ 1.61 Odds
• Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.66 Odds