St Etienne V Lyon
Sunday, 6 October 2019 – 20:00 Kick-Off
French Ligue 1
Pick: Lyon to WIN
Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: MoPlay
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/5 | 53/20 | 21/20 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 3 October 2019 at 22:45)
Preview: Football in France’s Ligue 1 will conclude for the international break with Le Derby, one of the more eagerly-anticipated matches in the calendar between St Etienne and Lyon. The former will seek to benefit from home advantage, staging a fixture that can be viewed live on BT Sport at their Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
French Football Betting – MoPlay
St Etienne Preview – Positive week the catalyst for further progress?
All change at St Etienne. Just days before clashing with their bitter rivals, the club would finally rid the under-fire Ghislain Printant of his managerial duties. Replacing him is a man with previous experience of coaching said bitter rival, Claude Puel, who would spend three years at Lyon between 2008-2011. It is an intriguing appointment to say the least, not least for the timing, but one that seemed inevitable for some time now.
Puel will assume the reins of a squad which had been performing well below its potential this season, one good enough to challenge the top-half of the league but is currently wallowing in the relegation zone (19th – W2 D2 L4, GF7 GA13). Their smash and grab victory at Nimes (0-1) last weekend seemingly did little to convince the board as to where this club were heading under the former coach, which was nowhere positive anytime soon. Prior to Nimes it was no win in six Ligue 1 matches (D2 L4).
Thursday’s Europa League match-up with Wolfsburg was more of the same; turgid, uninspiring attacking football as St Etienne laboured to a 1-1 draw as hosts. They are back on hosting duties again here, in Ligue 1 action where goals have come at a premium – only three sides have scored fewer in 2019/20 than their tally of 7, at a rate of less than a goal per game. Can the arrival of a new man at the helm inspire them sufficiently in time for this crucial fixture?
Lyon Preview – Les Gones to build on Champions League success?
In absolute free-fall domestically, where they have not registered a win since the middle of August (D3 L3 in Ligue 1 since), this enigmatic Lyon side would travel to Germany in midweek to face a talented RB Leipzig outfit, second behind only Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, and somehow collect maximum points with a 2-0 victory. Surely now, on the back of that superb result, we will begin to see an upturn in league form?
No better place to start than away to your bitter rivals, whom they have not tasted defeat against in the past two seasons (W3 D1). Two seasons ago seen them storm the fort of their fierce rivals and rack up a huge 5-0 scoreline, while last season ended in dramatic fashion when Moussa Dembele scored a 95th minute winner as Les Gones came from behind to win. Therefore recent history, with regards to the head-to-head, can be a source of encouragment even if performances in the league certainly haven’t been.
As impressive a result as beating RB Leipzig was, the scoreline did not tell the whole story. Lyon would ride their luck on a few occasions, finishing the contest with less xG than their opponents (RBL 1.95 – 1.66 LYO). The fact it was their first clean sheet in eight competitive games also speaks volumes about the department most in need of urgent improvement. Last weekend, meanwhile, they were stunned at home by Nantes (L0-1), while away from home they have drawn successive games 2-2 versus Brest and Amiens.
St Etienne V Lyon Key Facts:
- St Etienne would record only a second Ligue 1 win of the season with a 1-0 success at Nimes last time out (W2 D2 L4).
- Lyon have gone their last six Ligue 1 matches without managing to record a win (D3 L3).
- Three of the previous four league meetings would end in victory for Lyon, including the last two staged in St Etienne.
Betting Summary
Both have made some positive strides in the past week. St Etienne would earn their first league win since the opening weekend, after prevailing in a tight affair away to Nimes before drawing with Wolfsburg in the Europa League on Thursday. The latter does, of course, mean less time to recuperate and prepare for this game with a Lyon side who remain without a win in Ligue 1 in six (D3 L3), but would celebrate a massive three points in the Champions League on Wednesday following victory in Germany over RB Leipzig.
For me, Lyon are unquestionably the stronger side. Three wins in the previous four meetings supports this assertion. However, the change of manager at St Etienne has altered the complexion of this fixture slightly, with there a possibility of a pragmatic Claude Puel inspiring an upturn in productivity in the short-term. I still feel he may have his work cut out initially, though. Lyon have scored two goals in three of four Ligue 1 away fixtures, albeit without getting the right results, but that firepower could prove the difference.
