St Etienne vs Reims prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2025-01-03 16:00.
[p]A new year brings with it a new manager for Saint-Étienne, who’ll have Eirik Horneland in the dugout for the first time against Reims. Olivier Dall’Oglio was sacked after a 2-1 defeat to Toulouse in mid-December – Les Verts’ third successive Ligue 1 loss – which left them in the relegation play-off position before the winter break, with no team in the division in worse form.[/p]
[p]Saint-Étienne’s ten defeats at this stage of a Ligue 1 season is their most since 2008/09, though encouragement can be found from the fact they avoided the drop that season. Repeating the feat will depend on Horneland improving his side’s attacking threat as they’ve scored just twice across their last six matches across all competitions, while home games taken on extra importance given that just one of their 13 league points this season was won on the road.[/p]
[p]Earning points against Reims has proved tough in recent years however, with the visitors unbeaten in the last six H2Hs (W4, D2) – winning 2-1 on their last trip here in May 2022. Like their hosts, Luka Elsner’s men are also struggling in front of goal, with three successive league scoring blanks (D2, L1) marking their worst such run since a sequence of four in October 2015.[/p]
[p]Reims will therefore be grateful to hit the road where they’re unbeaten in three matches (W2, D1), including a 3-1 Coupe de France win at Mutzig in their final game of 2024. But with that success coming against a side in the eighth tier, question marks remain over their ability to carry that into top-flight action where they’ve won just once in eight matches (D3, L4).[/p]
[p]Key battle: Lucas Stassin scored Saint-Étienne’s final goal of 2024, while he’s twice assisted in home wins for his side this term. After conceding in all but one of his previous 26 league away games, goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf will be targeting his third successive Ligue 1 clean sheet on the road in this fixture.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Reims have trailed at half-time in only one of their last six away games. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]