Le Havre vs St Etienne prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2025-03-08 16:15.
[p]Relegation ‘six-pointers’ seldom come any more significant than this clash between Le Havre and Saint-Étienne, both of whom begin the weekend inside the Ligue 1 relegation zone. Le Havre sit a point and a place better off thanks to a stunning 4-3 win over Lens last weekend in which they twice came from behind, with that their second victory in four outings (L2).[/p]
[p]Le Havre have accumulated as many points in their last five matches (seven) as they did in their previous 16 outings, but next on their wishlist is improvement on home soil. Didier Digard’s men have remarkably lost a club record seven successive Ligue 1 home matches, but confidence should remain that they can end that run here having won the reverse fixture 2-0, albeit they last won back-to-back H2Hs in 1953/54.[/p]
[p]Saint-Étienne may feel powerless to stop that as their turmoil shows no sign of slowing down. Les Verts are winless in eight league matches (D3, L5) and frustration spilled over after their 3-1 defeat to Nice last week, with defender Dylan Batubinsika on the receiving end of a punch from a fan as he attempted to sign autographs when exiting the stadium.[/p]
[p]While other sides would be grateful to hit the road in such a scenario, that is unlikely to be the case for Saint-Étienne, who have failed to win any of their last 19 top-flight away games stretching back to February 2022 (D5, L14). Each of the last 17 such matches saw them concede at least once, and any continuation would be far from ideal preparation for a clash with bottom-of-the-table Montpellier next week.[/p]
[p]Key battle: Le Havre’s hopes likely fall at the feet of Issa Soumaré, who has directly contributed to five goals in his last four Ligue 1 matches (G3, A2), including a goal and an assist against Lens last week. Saint-Étienne goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur will be tasked with stopping him and adding to his tally of 101 saves in the league this term – second only to Yahia Fofana pre-round.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only Saint-Étienne (seven) have scored fewer goals before half-time in Ligue 1 this season than Le Havre.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]