H2H: Nantes vs. St Etienne – Prediction (Ligue 1

Preview and Teams Comparison.

Nantes’ 1-0 loss to Monaco in their last Ligue 1 (L1) home outing bore some significance, with the result making it seven straight league home games featuring under 1.5 goals. Curiously, the hosts have seen each of their last five L1 home games produce a 1-0 scoreline either way. Nantes have won the last six L1 home games in which Abdoulaye Touré has found the net. Indeed, ‘Les Canaris’ often shut out any visitors here, with five of their six L1 home games to date seeing them keep a clean sheet. Tension may still be a theme though, as just one of Nantes’ last 13 league home fixtures has been settled by more than a one-goal margin.

Nantes’ L1 home fixtures this term have averaged 0.17 first-half goals per fixture – a league low. Eleven of the last 12 L1 H2Hs held here saw the half-time result mirror its full-time counterpart. St Étienne are yet to concede a goal inside the opening 30 minutes of an away game this L1 season.

St Étienne are deadly accurate when it comes to the final third, with 39.22% of their shots in L1 away matches hitting the target (L1’s second-best percentage). Additionally, the fact that ‘Les Verts’ have lost on just one of their last six top-flight road trips to this venue could prove a major psychological factor (W2, D3, L1). Denis Bouanga has netted three goals in L1 so far, going down as St Étienne’s first scorer in his three goalscoring games to date. Such attacking efficiency may be particularly important here, given that five of St Étienne’s last six league outings have produced a 1-0 scoreline (W4, L1). ‘Les Verts’ have also scored the opener in each of their last five league fixtures, winning four.