St Etienne Vs Paris Saint-Germain
St Etienne Vs Paris Saint-Germain Wednesday 6th January 2021 – 20:00 (kick-off)
French Ligue 1
Pick: PSG Win & Over 2.5 Goals
Odds: 10/11
Bookmaker: Boylesports
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 4th January 2021)
Preview: The spotlight inside Stade Geoffroy-Guichard falls upon the visiting side, more specifically the new man at the helm of Paris Saint-Germain. Mauricio Pochettino will usher in a new era for the Parisians when taking his new team to Saint-Etienne for the return of Ligue 1 in 2020.
French Ligue 1 Betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
St Etienne – Striking first paramount to any hopes of an upset?
Having looked doomed at one stage, the club from Auvergne-Rhone-Alps are on the rise once more. Manager Claude Puel has done well to survive the season in fairness, with that aforementioned spell I alluded to, when going seven consecutive Ligue 1 games without collecting a single point between late September and mid-November, threatening his reign with Les Verts.
St Etienne (W4 D6 L7) have since put together an unbeaten sequence comprising one win and five draws. Netting precisely twice in each of the last three. That includes last time out prior to Christmas, in their 2-2 draw away to Monaco. Crucially, they find themselves with daylight between them and the relegation places, some six points clear of Lorient, Dijon and Nimes – the bottom three who are all locked together on 12 points.
The first goal is set to be crucial for Claude Puel and his side, who are yet to win on any of six occasions this season that they have conceded the game’s opening goal (D1 L6). This also applies when playing here at their Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. Winless across their past six Ligue 1 home matches (D3 L3), they are, however, unbeaten on their own turf so far this term when netting first (W2 D2).
Paris Saint-Germain – Out with the old and in with the Poch?
Last spotted in the manager’s dugout on 19 November 2019 while then Tottenham manager, it would be fair to say Mauricio Pochettino has bided his time before seeking out future employment. The Argentine, who spent two years in Paris as a player, has had no shortage of admirers – both Barcelona and Real Madrid were reportedly very keen. However it is Paris Saint-Germain (W11 D2 L4) whose lure proved too strong.
Poch inherits a side plagued with injuries and that isn’t in its customary top spot in Ligue 1. That is currently reserved for Lyon and Lille. The pair are only one point better off though, and usurping both, and then some, will be the minimum requirement between now and the end of the season. One which has already seen Les Parisiens sustain more losses (4) than the entirety of last season’s shortened 27-game campaign (3).
Funnily enough, Thomas Tuchel’s time in Paris was brought to an end after seeing his side thump Strasbourg 4-0 in the French capital. Prior to that, however, PSG were held to a goalless stalemate in Lille, which meant just one win from their past three away Ligue 1 contests (W1 D1 L1). Home or away, when PSG have emerged victorious this season it was usually by two clear goals (occurred in 10 of 11 wins).
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St Etienne Vs PSG Betting Advice
Five straight Ligue 1 defeats when facing PSG, with three of those coming by a margin of three clear goals. It hardly augurs well ahead of St Etienne’s latest meeting with the French champions, in what will be both team’s first competitive fixture since before Christmas. Furthermore, there will be plenty keen on making a positive first impression on new manager Mauricio Pochettino, who replaces the outgoing Thomas Tuchel.
St Etienne Vs PSG – Key Facts:
- Six consecutive Ligue 1 home games without a win (D3 L3) for St Etienne coming into this fixture with the second-best away side in the league, PSG (W5 D1 L2).
- St Etienne have netted exactly two goals in each of their past three matches while PSG have conceded in two of their last three away Ligue 1 matches (W1 D1 L3).
- Five consecutive Ligue 1 victories against St Etienne for PSG coming into Wednesday’s contest, with three of those successes coming by a margin of 3+ goals.
Scoring first could be crucial to the outcome of this contest. St Etienne have lost all but one of the seven instances this season whereby they have allowed the game’s opening goal. PSG, meanwhile, haven’t conceded first in ten straight competitive away matches but are missing players. I’ll take them to continue their dominance of this fixture, though, but with goals. Especially as St Etienne have netted twice in their last three games.
Best Betting Odds – St Etienne Vs PSG
St Etienne – 7/1 (Bet365)
Draw – 17/4 (Betway)
PSG – 4/11 (Betfair)
