St Helens vs Catalans Dragons
Totally Wicked Stadium
13.07.2023, 22:00
This game of the 19th round of the England Super League will take place at Totally Wicked Stadium between third-placed St. Helens and fourth-placed Catalans Dragons. The home team is the favorite to win this matchup, while the Catalans Dragons are coming into it fresh off a loss to Huddersfield.
St Helens - a big chance to cut league gap
The Saints have not been performing at their full potential this season, but their recent triumphs over the Castleford Tigers and the Warrington Wolves have allowed them to move up to 22 points in the standings. They have a better point differential than their fierce rivals, the Wigan Warriors and the Warrington Wolves. However, they are two points behind the Leigh Leopards, who are in second place, and they are four points behind the Catalans Dragons. Curtis Sironen is expected to make a comeback after missing time with a hamstring injury, and Dan Norman might make an appearance after returning to the Saints from a loan stint with the Leopards. The two players were among the two that Saints head coach Paul Wellens selected to make alterations to his 21-man roster. Both Lewis Baxter and Tee Ritson will not be part of the squad in this matchup.
Catalans Dragons - Dragons to avoid consecutive defeats
The Catalans Dragons have been dominant this year, winning 13 of their 18 matches, but they were unable to extend their winning streak in the league to seven games after suffering a loss on Saturday. They were defeated at home by the Huddersfield Giants by a score of 22-14, so they will be keen to go back to winning ways as soon as they possibly can. After receiving only a minor knock, Sam Tomkins is now back with the Dragons squad. Being a former player for Wigan, he enjoys nothing more than having one over on St. Helens, so you can be sure he will be eager to earn some playing time against the Saints. Mitchell Pearce and Romain Navarrete both make their way back to the lineup after serving recent bans. On the other hand, Arthur Mourgue, who had a knock the previous week and was unable to play because of it, is out of the squad, along with Matthieu Laguerre and Cesar Rouge.
Head-Head Highlights
St. Helens has prevailed against the Catalans in each of their last eight home matches, including a victory at Headingley in the year 2020. On April 14, 2016, the Dragons defeated the Saints in a game that was played at Totally Wicked Stadium by a score of 30-12. Heading into this contest, Jack Welsby, who plays for St. Helens, has scored a try in each of his team's three most recent matchups against the Catalans Dragons.
Expert Betting Tips
Due to the fact that both squads will be striving for victory, this game is expected to be difficult. In this game, the host club will try to decrease the deficit in the league standings, while the Catalans Dragon, who are the visitors, will try to avoid losing three games in a row and instead increase their advantage in the league standings. While this is going on, St. Helens will be feeling good about their chances of victory because they have a strong track record of success at their home stadium against Catalans Dragons in the past. Having said that, Catalans Dragons have been a very good team so far this season, and I anticipate that they will bring the points spread closer to even.