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Angers entertain last-placed Saint-Etienne at the Stade Raymond Kopa in the final Ligue 1 game ahead of the international break on Wednesday.
The hosts secured their first win of the year as they overcame Troyes 2-1 in their home game on Sunday. The visiting side, on the other hand, are winless in their last eight league outings, with their last win coming against Troyes in November.
They fell to a 1-0 loss at Olympique Lyon in their previous league game as Moussa Dembele scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot.
Angers vs Saint-Etienne Head-to-Head
The two sides have met each other 20 times so far, with all the games coming in Ligue 1. The visiting side have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture against the hosts with nine wins, while Angers have just one win to their name. The spoils have been shared 10 times in this fixture.
They last squared off at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in league action earlier this season. The game ended in a hard-fought 2-2 draw as the then-hosts twice came from behind including an injury-time header from Mickaël Nade.
Angers form guide (all competitions): W-D-L-L-L
Saint-Etienne form guide (all competitions): L-L-W-L-W
Angers vs Saint-Etienne Team News
Angers
Mohamed Ali Cho, Romain Thomas and Zinedine Ould Khaled have been ruled out with injuries for the game. Sofiane Boufal, Azzedine Ounahi, Enzo Ebosse and Stephane Bahoken remain at the ongoing AFCON, with the first two representing Morocco and the latter two playing for Cameroon.
Souleyman Doumbia will serve the second of his two-match suspension in this game.
Injured: Zinedine Ould Khaled, Mohamed Ali Cho, Romain Thomas
Suspended: Souleyman Doumbia
Unavailable: Sofiane Boufal, Azzedine Ounahi, Enzo Ebosse, Stephane Bahoken
Saint-Etienne
Miguel Trauco has been called up by Peru for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and will miss the game. Ryad Boudebouz tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the game against Troyes and will undergo a test ahead of the trip to Angers.
Romain Hamouma is also expected to miss the game with a thigh injury. Harold Moukoudi, Saidou Sow, Wahbi Khazri and Yvan Neyou remain at the AFCON. Meanwhile, Denis Bouanga will return to the club following Gabon's elimination but is a doubt for the game.
Injured: Romain Hamouma
Doubtful: Denis Bouanga
Unavailable: Harold Moukoudi, Saidou Sow, Yvan Neyou, Wahbi Khazri, Miguel Trauco (all international duty), Ryad Boudebouz (COVID-19)
Suspended: None
Angers vs Saint-Etienne Predicted XI
Angers Predicted XI (3-5-2): Danijel Petkovic; Batista Mendy, Vincent Manceau, Ismael Traore; Jimmy Cabot, Angelo Fulgini, Thomas Mangani, Nabil Bentaleb, Mathias Pereira Lage; Casimir Ninga, Billal Brahimi
Saint-Etienne Predicted XI (5-4-1): Paul Bernardoni; Yvann Macon, Mickael Nade, Abdoulaye Bakayoko, Timothee Kolodziejczak, Gabriel Silva; Sada Thioub, Mahdi Camara, Zaydou Youssouf, Adil Aouchiche; Arnaud Nordin
Angers vs Saint-Etienne Prediction
Angers have been solid in their league outings this year while the visiting side have lost their last six away games, scoring just twice in the period. Les Verts are also without some of their key players for this game and are expected to struggle.
A win for the home side appears to be the most likely outcome here.
Prediction: Angers 2-1 Saint-Etienne
