10-time French champion Saint-Etienne is currently going through a major crisis and time is running out for the club in the Ligue 1 relegation battle. Les Verts have to start picking up points as soon as possible and their next chance to do so comes on Wednesday against Angers.
These two played out a spectacular 2-2 draw in the first meeting of the season and bookmaker 10bet has the odds at 2.50 for another high-scoring game with both teams scoring.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 25th, 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Saint-Etienne have picked up only 12 points from 21 games and they visit Stade Raymond Kopa after taking seven consecutive losses. It currently marks the longest losing streak across all of the five biggest leagues in Europe.
The season got off to a horrible start when Saint-Etienne went 12 games without a win and even a managerial change hasn’t helped them to turn things around. Claude Puel was replaced by Pascal Dupraz in December.
Dupraz has been in charge for three games and the team has at least managed to avoid defeats by multiple goals during his reign. There’s been some bad luck denying them points in recent outings with Lens beating Saint-Etienne 2-1 with a stoppage-time winner and Lyon winning the Rhone derby thanks to a penalty.
The defensive efforts have definitely improved lately and Eliaquim Mangala should provide even more quality at the back. The former Manchester City and Valencia man has signed a six-month deal with the club.
Mangala has seen very little action in recent seasons and should be eager to prove himself. At 30 years old, he’s still at a good age and will be motivated to earn himself the final big contract of his career.
The former French international and the rest of the backline will try to stop an exciting attack on Wednesday. Angers haven’t scored a lot of goals, netting 28 times in 21 outings, but they have the Moroccan magician Sofiane Boufal and wonder-kid Mohamed-Ali Cho, who just turned 18, carrying the offense.
Boufal failed to establish himself in the Premier League with Southampton and he’s an inconsistent performer, but the 28-year-old can pop up with a game-winning moment at any time and Saint-Etienne have to keep a close eye on him for the whole match. The Angers No. 7 boasts five goals and three assists in Ligue 1 action this season.
