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Sunday sees Montpellier face off against Saint-Etienne in a Ligue 1 clash at the Stade de la Mosson.
Montpellier are currently in eighth place in the table, with their slim European hopes fading, while Saint-Etienne are safe in a mid-table spot in 14th.
Montpellier are aiming to rebound from a disappointing loss last weekend, while Saint-Etienne will hope to break their recent losing streak with a win.
Montpellier vs Saint-Etienne Head-to-Head
Montpellier saw a lengthy unbeaten run snapped last weekend in surprising fashion as they fell 3-1 to Nice in a disappointing result for them.
Prior to that, Michel de Zakarian’s side had not lost since 30 January, and had picked up a valuable 1-1 draw with title hopefuls Lille.
Montpellier are still scoring goals, but their defense needs to strengthen for them to improve. With 57 goals conceded, they’ve let in more than any other side in the top half.
Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne have always been able to stay just outside the danger zone this season by winning games at key times.
They’ve lost their last two matches, most recently falling 1-2 at home to Brest. Prior to this though, they’d won two matches in a row, including a 4-1 hammering of Bordeaux.
Interestingly, despite sitting six spots below them in the table, Saint-Etienne have conceded fewer goals than Montpellier this season.
The last time these sides faced off, Montpellier came away with a 1-0 win in November. In fact, they have won three of their last six meetings with Saint-Etienne.
Montpellier form guide: W-D-D-W-L
Saint-Etienne form guide: L-W-W-L-L
Montpellier vs Saint-Etienne Team News
Montpellier
Influential midfielder Teji Savanier has been suspended for Montpellier. They are also without Arnaud Souquet, Pedro Mendes and Ambroise Oyongo due to injury.
Injured: Arnaud Souquet, Pedro Mendes, Ambroise Oyongo
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Teji Savanier
Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne will be without three players for this game due to injury.
Injured: Anthony Modeste, Stefan Bajic, Yvann Macon
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Montpellier vs Saint-Etienne Predicted XI
Montpellier predicted XI (4-3-3): Jonas Omlin, Junior Sambia, Hilton, Daniel Congre, Mihailo Ristic, Florent Mollet, Jordan Ferri, Damien Le Tallec, Gaetan Laborde, Andy Delort, Stephy Mavididi
Saint-Etienne predicted XI (4-3-3): Etienne Green, Mathieu Debuchy, Harold Moukoudi, Pape Abou Cisse, Miguel Trauco, Mahdi Camara, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Zaydou Youssouf, Romain Hamouma, Wahbi Khazri, Adil Aouchiche
Montpellier vs Saint-Etienne Prediction
Montpellier have a leaky defense, making this a difficult match to call.
The home side almost certainly have the attacking talent to overwhelm Saint-Etienne. However, the big question is whether they can keep things tight at the other end of the pitch.
We expect Montpellier to bounce back from their loss last week with a victory.
Prediction: Montpellier 2-1 Saint-Etienne
