Preview: Strasbourg vs. Saint-Etienne - prediction, team news, lineups

Basement side Saint-Etienne will aim to claim their first win of the Ligue 1 season at the 10th attempt when they travel to take on Strasbourg on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors rescued a point in dramatic circumstances against Lyon last time out, while Julien Stephan's side played out a 1-1 draw of their own with Montpellier HSC.

Match preview

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Montpellier's pink kit - worn to mark breast cancer awareness month - started out as the most eye-catching thing on the field during Strasbourg's clash with La Paillade on October 2, but that was before Florent Mollet crashed home a thunderous half-volley in the 12th minute of the contest.

However, Strasbourg veteran Kevin Gameiro would come up with his own powerful effort just before the half-hour mark, and there were no more goals to be had at the Stade de la Mosson as Strasbourg claimed another respectable result under Stephan.

The former Rennes coach has witnessed his side be outclassed by Lille and Lyon already this term, but a tally of 11 points from their opening nine games sees them sit safely in 12th spot at this early stage of the campaign, just two points off the top half.

Les Coureurs have gleaned seven of their 11 points this season on home soil - beating Brest and Metz in goal-laden performances after being held to a 1-1 draw with Troyes - but their opponents are not to be taken lightly despite their dismal standing in the table.

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Houssem Aouar's coolly-taken opener in the 41st minute appeared to set Lyon on their way to a comfortable success over Saint-Etienne before the international break, but after goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was sent off for handball, Les Verts made their extra man count.

A dramatic late penalty - awarded by VAR - saw Wahbi Khazri step up to the spot and convert in the fourth minute of injury time to rescue a memorable point for Saint-Etienne, but that result has done little to improve their position in the rankings.

As one of only two sides in the division still winless after nine games of the season - the other being Brest - Saint-Etienne remain rock bottom of the rankings with four points, although they are only behind Brest on goals scored - eight compared to Les Pirates' 10.

Unsurprisingly, a tally of eight strikes at the correct end of the pitch is the joint-fewest in the league alongside newly-promoted Troyes, but the draw with Lyon did at least end a five-game losing streak for Claude Puel's side as they now seek to avoid a fourth defeat on the bounce away from home.

Saint-Etienne have also shipped at least two goals in each of their four away games this season, and their trip to Strasbourg last season ended in a 1-0 defeat, but they did manage to beat Les Coureurs 2-0 on home soil.

Team News

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Strasbourg playmaker Adrien Thomasson will serve the second of his two-game ban following his sending off against Lille in gameweek eight, while Alexander Djiku will also miss out due to an accumulation of bookings.

Sanjin Prcic ought to continue in the hole while Thomasson remains absent, while Lucas Perrin is the most likely candidate to fill in for Djiku in Stephan's five-man rearguard.

Lebo Mothiba, Karol Fila and Moise Sahi remain absent for the hosts, while Habib Diallo is unlikely to force his way back into the attack just yet after Gameiro and Ludovic Ajorque combined for the equaliser against Montpellier.

Saint-Etienne remain rather short on the full-back front with Alpha Sissoko, Aimen Moueffek, Gabriel Silva and Yvann Macon all sidelined, while Miguel Trauco will need to be assessed after a late return from international duty with Peru.

Les Verts' defensive shortage saw Mahdi Camara feature as a makeshift right-back against Lyon, and the backline could remain untouched after a resolute performance against Lyon.

Romain Hamouma and Adil Aouchiche will both be aiming to displace Ryad Boudebouz in the final third here, but the former is still without a goal or assist in the 2021-22 season.

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Guilbert, Le Marchand, Perrin, Nyamsi, Caci; Sissoko, Aholou; Prcic; Ajorque, Gameiro

Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Green; Camara, Moukoudi, Kolodziejczak, Trauco; Nordin, Neyou, Youssouf, Bouanga; Hamouma, Khazri

We say: Strasbourg 2-1 Saint-Etienne

The international break arguably came at the worst time possible for Saint-Etienne after taking a point from their clash with Lyon, and Strasbourg are sure to expose their opponents' deficiencies in the full-back areas.

Stephan has not exactly made an explosive start to life back at Strasbourg, but the hosts' season so far can certainly be described as solid, and we can envisage Les Coureurs piling more misery on Puel with a narrow success on Sunday.