Saint-Etienne vs Reims Preview: Team News & Prediction
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Following their promotion to the top-flight, Saint-Etienne have struggled throughout the campaign as they begin in the relegation playoff place ahead of this weekend.
Kick-off date/time: Saturday 4th January, 2025: UK – 4:00pm / US ET – 11:00am / US PT – 8:00am
How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / US – beIN Sports
How to watch online: UK – Ligue 1 pass / US – beIN Sports
Saint-Etienne Preview: In the battle
Saint-Etienne begin the 16th match day of the 2024/25 Ligue 1 campaign sitting third from bottom and in the relegation playoff place. They have competed at times this season but are susceptible to being sliced apart with regularity when getting behind a game.
ASSE went into the French winter break on the back of a 2-1 loss to Toulouse at the Stadium de Toulouse in Ligue 1 before then welcoming Olympique de Marseille to the Geoffrey-Guichard in the Coupe de France and suffering a 4-0 annihilation at the hands of the southerners.
Reims Preview: Five, five and five
Coached by Slovenian coach Luka Elsner, who departed Le Havre over the summer, Stade de Reims have started the 2024/25 Ligue 1 campaign with five victories, five draws and five defeats in their opening 15 matches as they sit firmly in the middle-of-the-table.
They did go on a good run of form in the opening couple of months of the campaign but they went into the winter break on the back of a goalless draw at home to Monaco last month that means they have now managed just one win in their last eight matches.
Saint-Etienne Team News: Couple of suspensions
Saint-Etienne are dealing with a couple of suspensions for this weekend’s visit of Reims as centre-back Yunis Abdelhamid is sidelined alongside attacker Ibrahim Sissoko. They have several doubts, too, including New Zealand international Ben Old.
Predicted XI (3-5-2): Larsonneur; Batubinsika, Fomba, Petrot; Appiah, Bouchouari, Ekwah, Mouton, Cornud; Davitashvili, Stassin
Unavailable: Abdelhamid (Suspended), Sissoko (Suspended)
Questionable: Nade (Injured), Boakye (Injured), Briancon (Injured), Monconduit (Injured), Macon (Injured), Moueffek (Injured), Old (Injured)
Reims Team News: Several injuries
Former Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Reda Khadra had recovered from injury but is now sidelined once again due to a knee issue. They also have defensive injury doubts such as Kenya international Joseph Okumu as well as Maxime Busi and Abdoul Kone.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Diouf; Buta, Agbadou, Kipre, Sergio Akieme; Kone, Atangana; Ito, Munetsi, Nakamura; Diakite
Unavailable: Khadra (Injured), Daramy (Injured)
Questionable: Okumu (Injured), Busi (Injured), Kone (Injured)
Saint-Etienne vs Reims Prediction
Saint-Etienne have proven themselves to be able to compete at Ligue 1 level under the management of former Montpellier Herault boss Olivier Dall’Oglio but any success that they enjoy this season is going to have to come from playing a defensive and reactive style of football. They now face a Stade de Reims side that will try and play a bit more of the football in this game and they are the favourites for what may end up being a low-scoring affair.
Saint-Etienne vs Reims Tip: Reims to win & under 3.5 goals
