Saint – Etienne – Lorient

Saint – Etienne and Lorient open their Ligue 1 campaign on Sunday when they square off at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium. The hosts secured an 11th-placed finish last season, while the visitors finished in 16th place, two points above the relegation playoff place.

Saint-Etienne failed to end their pre-season on a high note as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday. In contrast, Lorient enjoyed a superb pre-season run, picking up three wins and two draws from their five games.

The results have been split right down the middle between the two sides. Saint-Etienne and Lorient have both picked up 13 wins, while seven games have ended in draws. Looking at past meetings between the two sides, we expect an entertaining and nail-biting contest on Sunday. The visitors shown real promise following their impressive pre-season run.

We predict a home win and both teams to score a goal.