Stade Francais Paris vs Clermont Prediction: The home team needs to respond to their poor performances

Stade Francais Paris vs Clermont will square it off at Stade Jean Bouin in Paris in round 8 of the France Top 14. Heading into this game, the home team is the favorite, while the visiting team comes in as an underdog. The visiting team has been the better in this game, but the home side is a favorite. How will this game unfold?

Stade Francais Paris's last league game was against Castres Olympique, and they defeated. This team started poorly in that game, scoring just three goals in the first half while conceding 27. While they won the second half by two 2-goal margin, it was not enough to close their deficit in that encounter. Heading into this game, Stade Francais Paris have lost four times in their last five matches, their lone win against Montpellier. However, in other encounters, Stade Francais Paris lost to RC Toulonnais, Section Paloise, and Lyon. 

Clermont's last league encounter was against Vannes, and this team secured a 55-33 win. Clermont had a strong first half in that encounter, scoring 24 goals while limiting Vannes to 16. However, this side scored 31 goals in the second half, which was good enough to secure a 22-margin win, as they limited their opponent to 17. Heading into this week 8 fixture, Clermont have three wins in their last five matches. This team has improved their record to 19 points this season, leaving them seated in the 5th spot. 

Stade Francais Paris have struggled heavily this season and do not hold a good record in this fixture. While on the road, Clermont will have a lot of jobs to do, as they have not won on the road in recent meetings. This is a tight game, looking at the situations the two sides are in at the moment. Yet, while being the better side, I will back Clermont to close the odds, a game where we should expect few goals.