SAINT-ETIENNE v BREST
Ligue 1
Sunday 18th August 2019
Kickoff: 1400hrs
Pick: Saint-Etienne win
Bookmaker: Unibet
Odds: 1.65 (odds taken at 04:30 GMT, 18 August 2019)
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.62 | 3.86 | 5.60 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of August 18th 2019 at 04:30)
The French top flight provides us with further action on Sunday afternoon when Saint-Etienne play host to Brest as the betting tips continue at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Saint-Etienne Prediction – Can Saint-Etienne collect opening home win?
An encouraging pre-season period for Sunday afternoon’s hosts, Saint-Etienne resulted in the home losing just 1 of their 5 warm-up matches which is in their final game against Newcastle United which they lost 2-1 at St James’ park.
Earlier wins over Andrezieux and Montpellier though would have raised the spirits amongst the Saint-Etienne camp and this was evident on last weekend’s opening day of the season when they collected all three points with a 2-1 win away at Dijon to hand them the perfect start.
Overall results have been very positive for Saint-Etienne as the home side have lost just 1 of their last 11 matches, a sequence which includes notable victories against Nimes, Reims and Nice, while they finished up with a strong home record last season of 13-2-4 34/14.
This solid base on home turf at their Stade Geoffroy-Guichard helped the hosts to a 4th place finish and qualification for the Europa League, as well as 8 clean sheets. In addition, Saint-Etienne finished on a strong note at home where they won 4 of their last 5 matches of the Ligue 1 campaign.
Brest Prediction – Can Brest halt Saint-Etienne dominance?
Newly promoted, Brest, gained automatic promotion from Ligue 2 at the end of last season as they finished runners-up to the title winners, Metz, by a margin of 7 points, but Brest themselves finished 3 points clear of 3rd placed Troyes to secure their place in Ligue 1 this season.
The visitors also enjoyed a promising pre-season where they won 4 of their 5 warm-up matches with wins against Lorient, Guingamp, Rennes and Nantes along with a draw against Levante, and they extended their unbeaten run to 6 matches in all competitions with last week’s 1-1 draw at home with Toulouse.
It’s been 6 years since Brest were last in the French top flight, a season that they’ll want to forget as it ended in relegation from Ligue 1 as they suffered 11 defeats from their final 12 matches of that wretched campaign.
If Brest are to survive and maintain their top flight status this time around, they’ll need to significantly improve upon results away from home as the visitors lost their last 5 away matches of that season, and indeed managed just 1 win on the road out of their last 8.
Key-Facts – Saint-Etienne v Brest
- Saint-Etienne won 4 of their last 5 matches at home in Ligue 1
- Saint-Etienne kept a total of 8 clean sheets at home last season
- Brest lost their last 5 away matches on the trot in their last season in Ligue 1
Betting Tips Verdict
Saint-Etienne have won the last 3 encounters on the trot against Brest and should grab all three points at home on Sunday afternoon too.
