Saint-Etienne and Lorient open their Ligue 1 campaign on Sunday when they square off at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.The hosts secured an 11th-placed finish last season, while the hosts finished in 16th place, two points above the relegation playoff place. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AS Saint-Étienne (@asseofficiel)Saint-Etienne failed to end their pre-season on a high note as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday.Les Verts raced to a two-goal lead through Christopher Lenz and Rafael Santos Borré before Timothée Kolodziejczak pulled one back in the 74th minute.It was the third straight defeat for Claude Puel’s men who were beaten 3-2 by newly-promoted Clermont Foot before losing 2-1 against Olympique Marseille.Saint-Etienne have picked up just one win from their last eight outings and will look to quickly end this poor form. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AS Saint-Étienne (@asseofficiel)In contrast, Lorient enjoyed a superb pre-season run, picking up three wins and two draws from their five games.Lorient wrapped up the pre-season with a hard-earned 1-0 win over league rivals Angers.In a cagey affair at the Stade Yves Allainmat-Le Moustoir, Nigerian forward Terem Moffi scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute.This followed a 1-0 win over FC Nantes at the Stade de la Beaujoire two Wednesdays ago.Head coach Christophe Pélissier will hope his side can maintain this fine form and grab a dream start to their Ligue 1 season.Saint-Etienne vs Lorient Head-To-HeadThe results have been split right down the middle between the two sides. Saint-Etienne and Lorient have both picked up 13 wins, while seven games have ended in draws.Saint-Etienne Form Guide: D-W-L-L-LLorient Form Guide: D-W-D-W-WSaint-Etienne vs Lorient Team NewsSaint-EtienneDefender Yvann Macon is a doubt for the hosts as he inches closer to making his return from a lengthy ACL injury.Injured: NoneDoubtful: Yvann MaconSuspended: None View this post on Instagram A post shared by AS Saint-Étienne (@asseofficiel)LorientLorient will be without the services of Stephane Diarra (Thigh), Quentin Boisgard (Illness) and Loris Mouyokolo (Ankle) due to injuries.Injured: Stephane Diarra, Quentin Boisgard, Loris MouyokoloSuspended: NoneSaint-Etienne vs Lorient Predicted XISaint-Etienne Predicted XI (4-4-2): Etienne Green; Yvann Maçon, Mickael Nade, Harold Moukoudi, Timothée Kolodziejczak; Adil Aouchiche, Zaydou Youssouf, Mahdi Camara, Yvan Neyou; Wahbi Khazri, Charles AbiLorient Predicted XI (4-4-2): Paul Nardi; Houboulang Mendes, Julien Laporte, Jérémy Morel, Vincent Le Goff; Jérôme Hergault, Laurent Abergel, Fabien Lemoine, Quentin Boisgard; Armand Lauriente, Terem MoffiSaint-Etienne vs Lorient PrédictionLooking at past meetings between the two sides, we expect an entertaining and nail-biting contest on Sunday. The visitors have shown real promise following their impressive pre-season run. We predict Lorient will claim the win as they take on a struggling Saint-Etienne side.Prediction: Saint-Etienne 1-2 LorientAlso See: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Chelsea pushing for major signing, updates on Lukaku and Kane's futures and more