St Etienne vs Metz prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 – Relegation – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-05-29 18:30.
[p]After beating Rodez 2-0 at home on Friday evening, Ligue 2 Saint-Étienne return to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Thursday to take on Metz in the first of two legs with a place in Ligue 1 up for grabs. The hosts’ victory put a stop to a three match winless streak (D1, L2), form which ultimately cost them an automatic promotion place in the regular league campaign, although Friday’s win suggests they’ve already put that disappointment behind them. [/p]
[p]Once the toast of French football after winning ten league titles, Saint-Étienne don’t have happy memories of the play-offs as they were relegated from Ligue 1 this way in 2021/22 when they lost on penalties to Auxerre after both legs had finished 1-1. They haven’t managed to escape Ligue 2 since, but on the back of a run of seven wins from their last eight home outings, they should be hopeful of making a better start this time around despite the fact they were beaten 3-1 when they hosted Metz in Ligue 2 in April 2023. [/p]
[p]Metz were also relegated from Ligue 1 two seasons ago but they immediately bounced back with a second-placed finish in the second-tier in 2022/23. Interestingly, this will be their first experience of the end of season deciders in spite of switching between the top two divisions four times since the play-offs were introduced in 2016/17.[/p]
[p]Les Grenats could very easily have been relegated automatically this season, and it was only a superior H2H record against Lorient which saved them from the drop after both sides finished with the same points and goal difference. László Bölöni’s side ended the campaign with four straight defeats and have won only two away games since the start of December (D1, L7), while their historical H2H away record against Saint-Étienne would suggest there’s little chance of that run improving here (W6, D10, L41).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Saint-Étienne forward Irvin Cardona scored the opener in the win over Rodez and that’s now seven victories from the seven games that he has found the net since signing on loan from Augsburg in January. Georges Mikautadze struck twice in the first half last season on his only previous appearance at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, while he’s also netted at least once in nine of his last 14 appearances.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Metz have opened the scoring in their last three away games.[/p]