St Etienne vs Montpellier prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-11-22 18:00.
[p]Two of the bottom three sides in Ligue 1 clash this weekend in what could prove to be a pivotal match for both side’s chances of escaping relegation this season. St-Étienne begin this matchday sat slightly higher than Montpellier in the table with ten points to their name (W3, D1, L7) and will welcome a return to home surroundings given their form at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard of late. [/p]
[p]On home soil, the Greens have won three of their last four league outings (L1) which will see them enter here as warm favorites for just the second time in Ligue 1 this season. They lost on that other occasion, but St-Étienne did win this exact fixture when it was last played back in February 2022 (3-1), yet the fact that they’ve netted just ten goals in total in the league this season – the second-fewest of any side – suggests another handsome win is unlikely. [/p]
[p]Montpellier travel here in an even worse predicament, as they begin the latest round sat rock bottom of Ligue 1 after securing a return of just seven points from their opening 11 matches (W2, D1, L8). They did at least head into the international break after defeating Brest 3-1, a result which ended their prior five-match losing run in Ligue 1.[/p]
[p]Whilst that will have lifted spirits slightly, this is still one of Montpellier’s worst-ever league starts and their leaky defensive line has been the major factor behind their poor form so far. No side across Europe’s top five leagues has conceded more than their 31 goals to this point as they’ve now gone a whopping 17 consecutive outings without a Ligue 1 clean sheet. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Zuriko Davitashvili has netted five of St-Étienne’s ten Ligue 1 goals this season, netting the second and fourth goals of the game across those two scoring appearances. Wahbi Khazri joined Montpellier from St-Étienne back in the summer of 2022 – he only has one goal in eight H2Hs against his former side, although it did come in his last away match against them.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Just three of St-Étienne’s 11 Ligue 1 matches this season have witnessed both sides score – the joint-lowest tally in the division.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Nathan Evans[/i][/p]