Saint-Etienne welcome Nantes to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Wednesday evening in what is shaping up to be a relegation six-pointer.
The hosts are just one place above Raymond Domenech's men coming into this, but their first victory in six games last time out means they have a four-point cushion over their upcoming opponents.
Match preview
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Les Verts are currently sitting in 16th position in the Ligue 1 standings after picking up just 22 points from their 22 top-flight games.
Scoring goals has been a real issue for Claude Puel's men this season. The former Southampton and Leicester City boss has seen his side find the back of the net on just 21 occasions throughout 2020-21.
That meagre haul is the joint-third lowest in the division and has seriously hampered the ten-time French champions in the current campaign.
However, after six games without a win, Saint-Etienne saw off a struggling Nice side 1-0 over the weekend, thanks to a late Charles Abi strike.
That means Puel's charges are now four points clear of Lorient, who occupy the relegation playoff place, although they do have a game in hand.
A win in midweek could put some real daylight between Les Verts and the drop zone, and they will be viewing it as a perfect opportunity to do just that.
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Nantes are on an awful run of form that has seen them go 13 games without a win in all competitions.
Their last three points in Ligue 1 came all the way back in November, and their disastrous results have seen them plummet to 17th position.
Despite former France national team head coach Domenech arriving at the Stade de la Beaujoire in December to replace Christian Gourcuff, performances have not improved.
Les Canaris have picked up just three points from their five games under their new boss, losing back-to-back fixtures in recent weeks.
If Nantes want to extend their eight-year stay in Ligue 1, then things will have to improve quickly, and another defeat on Wednesday could have serious consequences.
Saint-Etienne Ligue 1 form: DDLLLW
Nantes Ligue 1 form: LDDDLL
Team News
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Left-back Yvann Macon is the only absentee for Puel as the 22-year-old defender is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury.
The Frenchman is highly likely to stick with the same starting XI that secured the three points last time out, meaning experienced forward Romain Hamouma is set to lead the line once again.
Nantes will be without winger Anthony Limbombe with the Belgian attacker sidelined due to a tear in his abductor muscle.
The 26-year-old is joined on the treatment table by full-back Charles Traore, who went off injured at the weekend.
Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Moulin; Trauco, Sow, Moukoudi, Debuchy; Camara, Neyou; Aouchiche, Bouanga, Nordin; Hamouma
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Corchia, Castelletto, Girotto, Fabio; Chirivella; Coco, Toure, Louza, Simon; Kolo
We say: Saint-Etienne 1-1 Nantes
Both of these sides struggle to score goals, and we expect it to be a tight, low-scoring affair given their attacking woes and with what is at stake. We fancy them to take home a share of the spoils in a result that neither will be too happy with.
Top betting tip
George Cannon
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 Nantes win with a probability of 39.14%. A win for Saint-Etienne had a probability of 32.46% and a draw had a probability of 28.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Nantes win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.01%) and 0-2 (7.45%). The likeliest Saint-Etienne win was 1-0 (10.94%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.23%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.2% likelihood.
