Saint Etienne vs Lorient Prediction & Betting Tips - Ligue 1

Prediction published on 28/08/2020, 00:51  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 28/08/2020 at 00:56 in Ligue 1 Predictions

St. Etienne will open their Ligue 1 campaign with a home match against Lorient this Sunday, seeking a better season after finishing 17th in 2019/20. Going to this game, Lorient have already registered three points from their opening match and will be looking to leapfrog league leaders Nimes who have a better goal difference. St. Etienne didn’t do so well last season, and only finished seven points above the relegation zone; they failed to win any of their last seven league games and only managed two points from a possible 21. They also lost 1-0 to PSG in an ill-tempered French Cup final where they had six players booked and one sent off, and their last two preseason matches ended in defeats. Last season, St. Etienne played 14 home matches, and only managed four wins and with just two wins in their last 15 league matches, they will hope to get some reprieve as they start this campaign. They have six wins in seven meetings with Lorient, which may not be a factor in this game but should give them the needed psychological edge. St. Etienne have conceded the first in four of their last five league matches and have no clean sheet in 14 league matches.

Lorient have beaten St. Etienne just once in their last seven meetings and after a good start to the campaign, will be seeking another shock on Week 2. The visitors were big beneficiaries in the Ligue 2 season that ended prematurely, which found them topping after 28 rounds. At that point, Lorient had lost four of their last five matches and were short in confidence. However, they turned up in style on their return to the top flight, beating Strasbourg 3-1 in a fine second half comeback after heading to the break trailing. Yoane Wissa, who scored 15 in Ligue 2 last season, and Pierre Yves Hamel, who netted nine were on the score sheet but most crucially was Adrian Grbic, the new signing, who left Clermont after scoring 17 goals last season. The three are set to lead the attack for Lorient and should they get their partnership right, the Ligue 1 newbies will do well. Lorient also had a stable preseason, playing five, losing none and with three clean sheets therein, and will give St. Etienne a run for their money here. Last season, Lorient played 14 away league matches and registered eight wins; they failed to score in just three of the 14 away matches in Ligue 2.