Saint-Etienne will be looking to build on their victory over Lorient when they welcome Strasbourg to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard for Saturday's Ligue 1 clash.
In contrast, Strasbourg are still searching for their first points of the season after two defeats to Lorient and Nice early on in the 2020-21 campaign.
Match preview
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Saint-Etienne managed to put their disappointing finish to the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season behind them as they cruised to victory over Lorient in their first game back.
Veteran forward Romain Hamouma netted both goals for Claude Puel's men at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard to give Saint-Etienne just their second league win on home soil since the turn of the year.
Having finished last season just seven points clear of the relegation zone upon the curtailment of the campaign, Puel will undoubtedly be aiming for a drastic improvement as he gears up for his first full season in charge of Les Verts.
Saint-Etienne ought to feel confident about their chances of securing a second straight victory against an out-of-sorts Strasbourg side this weekend, but Puel nonetheless stressed caution in his pre-match press conference heading into Saturday evening's fixture.
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As for Strasbourg, Thierry Laurey's side were unable to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Lorient as they were comfortably swept aside by Nice in the last round of fixtures.
Kasper Dolberg bagged a brace for the visitors leaving Strasbourg without a point on the board after two games - an unwanted statistic only shared by two other sides in Brest and Dijon as things stand.
Several Ligue 1 sides have been taking part in friendly matches to keep their skills sharp amid an unorthodox fixture schedule, and Strasbourg did not fare any better there as they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Stuttgart last Saturday.
Laurey's men still have several months to turn their fortunes around and push for a top-half finish during the new season, so getting three points on the board as soon as possible will be of paramount importance to Strasbourg this weekend.
Saint-Etienne took the spoils in a 2-1 victory in this fixture last season before Strasbourg avenged that defeat and won by the same scoreline back in December.
Saint-Etienne Ligue 1 form: W
Strasbourg Ligue 1 form: LL
Team News
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Puel is facing a selection dilemma on the left-hand side of defence, with Gabriel Silva unavailable and Miguel Trauco recovering after he tested positive for coronavirus.
Yvann Macon could therefore deputise at left-back for the hosts once again, and Puel has insisted that fellow defender Wesley Fofana will remain at the club despite links with Leicester City.
Kevin Monnet-Paquet made his return from injury in the victory against Lorient, while Zaydou Youssouf has a chance of being involved here as well.
With regards to Strasbourg, goalkeeper Matz Sels is Puel's only long-term injury concern, and 37-year-old Eiji Kawashima is in line to start in between the sticks once again ahead of Bingourou Kamara.
Dimitri Lienard could be handed a spot in the first XI after coming off the bench in the defeat to Nice, while attacker Majeed Waris set up both goals in the friendly defeat to Stuttgart and will also be vying for a start.
Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Moulin; Debuchy, Fofana, Kolodziejczak, Macon; Camara, Youssouf; Bouanga, Aouchiche, Nordin; Hamouma
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Kawashima; Lala, Simakan, Djiku, Caci; Sissoko, Lienard; Waris, Thomasson, Chahiri; Ajorque
We say: Saint-Etienne 3-1 Strasbourg
There is no need for Strasbourg to be panicking despite having recorded two early losses, but Laurey's men are travelling to a Saint-Etienne side with a point to prove following their dismal 2019-20 campaign, so we are backing the hosts to march to victory and condemn Strasbourg to a third league defeat in succession on Saturday evening.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or draw in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Draw:data
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Saint-Etienne win with a probability of 44.57%. A win for Strasbourg had a probability of 28.05% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Saint-Etienne win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.69%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.7%) and 2-0 (8.59%). The likeliest Strasbourg win was 0-1 (9.5%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.86%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 8.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Saint-Etienne would win this match.
