St.Etienne vs Monaco Match preview

French Ligue 1: St.Etienne vs Monaco

St. Etienne dropped fifth place that could lead them to Europe and they will try to get it back, while Monaco have started playing better after the switch on the head.

Fantastic defense

St. Etienne are brilliant at home this season. They lost only one match in front of their fans and the fact that they conceded only 4 goals in 18 matches seems unreal. When they have the support of perhaps the most devoted fans in the country, St. Etienne play much more confident, especially in defense and they are really hard to beat. They charged at the fifth place in the finish and succeeded but they slowed down a bit and with two draws in the last two weeks allowed Lille to take over the place that could mean a UEFA Cup spot.
Last week they failed to win PSG at Parc Des Princes. They played somewhat weaker than we are used to see them play in the last few weeks. The only one who rose to the occasion was the keeper who was the man of the game. They had the lead on halftime but home side managed to get a point in the second half.
St. Etienne have no injury problems and they can field the strongest line-up.

Crisis handled?

At one point Monaco lost four games in succession and they came to only few points clear of the dangerous zone. That is when Prince Albert got involved and replaced the president which caused the results to improve. Even now when they have secured their place in the league, Monaco play with full potential. Everyone in the squad are aware that there will be some changes during summer and they wish to show that they deserve to stay in this club.
Although they had high ambitions before the start they must settle with a place in the bottom end of the standings. As in the last few years this is a wasted season for them.
Last week they were convincing against Auxerre. This was their first convincing win after a long time and it seems that they used the fact that rivals played relaxed thinking about vacation.
Coach Ricardo has many problems about the line-up since Perez, Almiron, Gakpe, Piquionne and Bernardi are absent.

Betting Verdict

We think that the home side have the advantage. They are brilliant at home this season while Monaco play with a lot of oscillations and we don't think they can repeat two excellent matches in a row.

Our tip: Bet 7 on Home win
Odds 1.7 at
Bookmaker: Gamebookers