Angers vs Saint-Etienne Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 French Ligue 1
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We have two newly-promoted sides meeting each other in Angers this weekend. They have both badly struggled at the start of the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season as they languish down towards the bottom end of France’s top-flight.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Saturday 26th October, 2024 - UK – 4:00pm / US ET – 11:00am / US PT – 8:00am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Not televised / US – beIN Sports
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Ligue 1 pass / US – beIN Sports
ANGERS PREVIEW: ANGERED ANGERS
Coached by Alexandre Dujeux, Angers remain the only winless team in the 2024/25 Ligue 1 campaign as they begin this weekend’s round of fixtures sitting in the bottom two and the automatic relegation places. They have collected four points from four defeats in their opening eight matches so far this season.
The home team come into this one on the back of four draws in their last five matches either side of the October international break. On return from the break, Angers shared a 1-1 draw with Toulouse at the Stadium de Toulouse with Ibrahima Niane opening the scoring before Josh King equalised mid-way through the second-half.
SAINT-ETIENNE PREVIEW: FIGHTING SAINT-ETIENNE
Former Montpellier coach Olivier Dall’Oglio is in charge of a Saint-Etienne side that begin the weekend sitting just outside of the bottom three and the danger zone. ASSE have managed two victories with one draws and five defeats in their opening eight matches of the 2024/25 campaign.
The visitors’ most recent outing saw Saint-Etienne suffer a 2-0 defeat at home to Lens last weekend with goals coming from Przemyslaw Frankowski and Remy Labeau Lascary. Prior to that loss, Saint-Etienne had suffered just one defeat in their previous four matches after a really poor start to the campaign.
ANGERS TEAM NEWS: ANGERS’ ABSENTEES
The home team have several absentees for this weekend’s visit of Saint-Etienne with right-back Lilian Raolisoa the only one to be missing due to suspension.
As well as Raolisoa, Angers are also without several key players due to injury such as Haris Belkelba, Zinedine Ferhat, Cedric Hountondji and Joseph Lopy.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Fofana; Arcus, Biumla, Lefort, Hanin; Aholou, Belkhdim; Allevinah, Abdelli, El Melali; Niane
UNAVAILABLE: Cherif (Injured), Raolisoa (Suspended), Lopy (Injured), Ekomie (Injured), Ferhat (Injured), Hountondji (Injured), Belkelba (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
SAINT-ETIENNE TEAM NEWS: SEVERAL ISSUES
Saint-Etienne have several injury issues for this weekend’s clash against Angers and they are missing the likes of Mahmoud Bentayg, Anthony Briancon and Pierre Cornud.
As well as that trio, ASSE have some key attackers such as New Zealand international Ben Old and Thomas Monconduit missing for this clash against their fellow newly-promoted side.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Larsonneur; Appiah, Abdelhamid, Nade, Petrot; Moueffek, Ekwah, Amougou; Cafaro, Sissoko, Davitashvili
UNAVAILABLE: Bentayg (Injured), Briancon (Injured), Wadji (Injured), Cornud (Injured), Monconduit (Injured), Macon (Injured), Old (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
ANGERS VS SAINT-ETIENNE PREDICTION
In gaining promotion to the top-flight last season, both of these sides went about it in quite a defensive and reactive way with two low-scoring systems and styles of football that always meant that, especially at a higher level, they would find it difficult to break through opposition defences this time around. The two teams have combined for just 12 goals so far this season and are the joint lowest scorers in the division with under 2.5 goals seeming almost inevitable for this one.
ANGERS VS SAINT-ETIENNE TIP: UNDER 2.5 GOALS
