St Etienne vs Rodez prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 – Relegation – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-05-23 18:30.
[p]In the storied history of professional top-flight French football dating back to 1932, only Paris Saint-Germain (12) have won more Ligue 1 titles than Saint-Étienne (ten). Fast forward over 90 years to 2024, and Saint-Étienne are stuck in the doldrums of Ligue 2, but this sleeping giant stands potentially only 270 minutes away from returning to where many fans would say they belong. [/p]
[p]Rodez stand in their way in this semi-final and Saint-Étienne bare the psychological scars of having dropped into the second tier via the promotion/relegation play-off back in 2021/22. Les Verts will be hoping for a better outcome here than in that game which ended in fans throwing flares at the players, but in truth they’ll likely feeling hard done by that they’re even taking this route to promotion after a three-match slump to end the regular league campaign (D2, L1) saw them surrender automatic promotion.[/p]
[p]While Saint-Étienne are a true sleeping giant, Rodez’s tag as a plucky underdog marks this out as somewhat of a David v Goliath clash. But it’s David who have had the edge in recent meetings between the pair, with Rodez going unbeaten in all four league H2Hs (W2, D2) in Saint-Étienne’s current two season stint in the second tier, which should boost morale that they can take another step towards a first-ever campaign in Ligue 1.[/p]
[p]It’s a quick turnaround for the visitors here, who needed penalties to overcome Paris FC in the quarter-finals on Tuesday night, but with the youngest side in Ligue 2, youthful exuberance should help overcome those tired legs. A repeat of the 1-1 draw the pair played out in this corresponding fixture in the league campaign in mid-May would see this tie also go beyond the 90, though having won four of their last seven away outings (D2, L1), Rodez will hope to set up a final date with Ligue 1’s Metz in regulation time.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Saint-Étienne’s top league scorer Ibrahim Sissoko saw five of his six home goals scored either with his head or from the penalty spot, while Rodez forward Kilian Corredor was on target against Paris FC and seven of his last eight goals have arrived before half-time. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Saint-Étienne have scored exactly once in four of their last five home games, while Rodez have conceded exactly once in four of their last five away games. [/p]