Ligue 1 conjures up an early-season relegation six-pointer on Saturday, when Saint-Etienne welcome Montpellier HSC to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Both clubs enter the weekend in the relegation zone, and unsurprisingly have the worst two defensive records in the division, while only Le Havre have netted fewer goals.
Match preview
© Imago
Returning to home comforts could be very important for Saint-Etienne this weekend, because after an impressive 2-0 win over Strasbourg in their last outing here, they lost 1-0 at Lyon just before the international break in the Rhone-Alpes derby.
Despite having top-half home form, with nine of their 10 points coming here at the Guichard, that woeful away record is what is keeping them down in the bottom three.
Some damaging defeats - most notably the 8-0 at Nice - means ASSE's goal difference currently sits at minus-15, and leaves them below Angers and Nantes in the Ligue 1 standings.
Twenty-five goals conceded in their opening 11 games is the joint-worst Saint-Etienne have let in at this stage of a campaign for 60 years, and that is compounded by the fact their meagre tally of 10 league goals is also their worst amount since 2009.
Les Verts usually enjoyed matchdays against Montpellier, winning eight in a row between 2013 and 2016, but prior to their relegation, that record faltered, winning just three of the last 11 head-to-heads.
Failing to improve on that record will be hugely disappointing for Olivier Dall'Oglio's team here, considering Montpellier have lost all five away league games so far.
© Imago
The visitors are one of just four clubs in Europe's top-five leagues yet to win a single point on the road this season, but they will hope that Jean-Louis Gasset getting off the mark before the international break can breed confidence in the side.
After suffering five straight defeats - two of which came under Gasset - Montpellier signed off in style, beating Champions League dark horses Brest 3-1, but that was still not enough to lift them off the bottom of the table.
La Paillade remain rooted to the foot of the table, three points from safety with a dreadful goal difference, given that no team in Europe's top-five leagues have conceded more than their 31 so far.
They have already equalled their worst run of consecutive games without a clean sheet in the 21st century, with the goal conceded against Brest extending that run to 17 matches - the same amount of games they went without one between March 2003 and March 2004.
One positive the visitors can cling onto ahead of this encounter is that they have won their last four matches against newly-promoted teams in Ligue 1, including a gameweek five win over Auxerre back in September.
Team News
![Jordan Ferri (12) of Montpellier HSC during the friendly match between Girona FC and Montpellier HSC played at the Royalverd Training Center sports facilities, July 20 ,2024[on July 25, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/30/jordan-ferri.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Jordan Ferri (12) of Montpellier HSC during the friendly match between Girona FC and Montpellier HSC played at the Royalverd Training Center sports facilities, July 20 ,2024[on July 25, 2024]")
© Imago
Despite a difficult run during October, Saint-Etienne's Zuriko Davitashvili was named Ligue 1 Player of the Month last week, scoring all five of the club's goals across three matches.
Joining the Georgian in attack could be Ibrahima Wadji, who returned as a late substitute versus Lyon, but Ben Old remains a doubt after missing New Zealand duty last week.
Mickael Nade suffered a sprained knee in their last outing and is set to miss out, while a more serious knee injury will also keep Anthony Briancon sidelined for a little longer.
Montpellier will be without both Jordan Ferri and Birama Toure due to suspension here, but they will be able to call upon midfield duo Teji Savanier and Stefan Dzodic, after both completed their respective bans after the win over Brest.
Defence remains a big issue for the visitors though, with Christopher Jullien, Kiki Kouyate, Theo Sainte-Luce, Becir Omeragic and Lucas Mincarelli all missing out recently with injury.
Othmane Maamma is back from a recent setback though, as he represented Morocco's Under-20s during the recent break, but Joris Chotard and Khalil Fayad are set to remain out.
Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Larsonneur; Macon, Batubinkisa, Abdelhamid, Petrot; Ekwah, Bouchouari, Cafaro; Boakye, Wadji, Davitashvili
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Tchato, Maksimovic, Sagnan, Sylla; Nzingoula, Savanier; Al-Tamari, Khazri, Nordin; Adams
We say: Saint-Etienne 1-1 Montpellier HSC
Montpellier took 14 points from their final six away games last season, and after getting their first win under Gasset before the break, this could be the perfect chance to open their account on the road.
Saint-Etienne's record at home is evidently their strong point, but form in general has been hugely underwhelming, and while they are favourites here, it is unlikely to be plain sailing.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
