Saint Etienne vs. Lorient 8/30/20 Ligue 1 Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Saint Etienne is hosting Lorient at Stade Geoffroy Guichard in round 2 in French Ligue 1.

Saint Etienne has played only 3 friendly games in the preseason, and they lost 2 while winning 1 of those games. During this stretch, Saint Etienne has scored 4 goals, while conceding 6 goals. Just over a month ago, Saint Etienne has played against PSG in Coupe de France, and they were solid in that game, but they ended up losing this match 1-0. Saint Etienne’s first game of the season against Marseille last week was canceled, and Saint Etienne had to wait to have their opening day. Saint Etienne barely escaped the relegation zone last season, but only because the number of relegated teams was reduced, otherwise, Saint Etienne would have had a tough end of the season. Monnet-Paquet and Diony are both injured, and they will not be in the lineup for this match. There aren’t any notable arrivals or departures from the team, but Saint Etienne has had more departures than arrivals, which could impact their depth. Saint Etienne is not a bad team, but they are in shaky form, and their last game was 2 weeks ago. It’s always important to win the first game of the season, and I know Saint Etienne has it in them to do so.

Lorient has had 4 draws in their 4 friendly games in the preseason, but they have won their opening game of the season against Strasbourg. Lorient has had 49% of ball possession, 7 shots on goal, 6 corner kicks, 6 big chances created, and 82% of the correct passes. Lorient was the better team here, but they were losing 0-1 at half time. In the second half, Lorient shifted gears, and in the end, they have won this match 3-1. With those three points, Lorient is now in 3rd place in the standings. Wissa, Grbic, and Hamel have each scored 1 goal so far. Trevoh is the only injured player for Lorient. Lorient was in Ligue 2 last season, and they have won first place with 54 points, in the shortened season of course. Lorient was the best team in Ligue 2, and they started this season with the big boys in a good way, with a win. The main goal for Lorient this season to secure the Ligue 1 status as soon as possible, and everything else that happens in just a cherry on top. I think there are weaker teams than Lorient in Ligue 1, and I believe they will stay outside the relegation zone.

When playing at home, Saint Etienne has not lost to Lorient in their last 4 games. The trends are evenly split here, but I think Saint Etienne is the better team, and more experienced when it comes to Ligue 1. I see Saint Etienne winning their first game of the season, at home.