Olympique de Marseille vs. Saint-Etienne 8/28/21 Ligue 1 Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Olympique de Marseille is welcoming Saint-Etienne to Orange Velodrome in round 4 of the French Ligue 1. Marseille has had a solid start to the season, and they are undefeated in their last 11 games. Even though Saint-Etienne hasn’t lost in Ligue 1 this season, they haven’t won any of their last 6 games.

Marseille has scored an impressive 5 goals in their first two games of the season, but they have also conceded 4 goals, and that is a clear sign their defense is in disarray. In their game against Nice last week, Marseille was the better team with 64% of ball possession, 3 shots on goal, 5 corner kicks, 2 big chances created, and 89% of the correct passes. Marseille was losing 1-0 in the second half, but they were getting more dangerous before this game got postponed. With 4 points, 5 scored goals, and 4 conceded goals, Marseille is in 8^th place in the Ligue 1 standings. Payet has been playing in great form this season, and he has scored 3 goals for Marseille, while Under added 2 goals. Milik is injured, while Balerdi is suspended because of the red card. I think Marseille is good enough to compete for the Europa League once again this season, but if they sell Caleta-Car, and they probably will, they will need a decent replacement for him on the defensive end.

Saint-Etienne is one of the toughest teams in the Ligue 1, one of the roughest to be more precise. In their first 3 games this season, Saint-Etienne has 3 draws, 4 scored goals, and 4 conceded goals. Khazri is the leading goalscorer for Saint-Etienne with 2 goals. Moueffek and Sissoko are both injured for Saint-Etienne. The last season was solid for Saint-Etienne, and they ended up in 11^th place, which is far away from the relegation zone, but I’m not sure they can repeat that result this season. in their latest Ligue 1 game against Lille at home, Saint-Etienne has had 48% of ball possession, 2 shots on goal, 5 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and 81% of the correct passes. Saint-Etienne was losing since the 38^th minute, but they never surrendered, and they tied the score in the 85^th minute. The final result of this match was 1-1. I think this upcoming international break will do some good to Saint-Etienne, but we will see if they can stabilize their defense after that.

Saint-Etienne hasn’t won any of their last 6 games, while Marseille hasn’t lost any of their last 12 home games, and any of their last 10 games overall. The trends are heavily on Marseille’s side, and they are in better form, and they are the better team here. I’m taking Marseille at home.