RED Star FC 93 vs Saint Etienne Prediction & Betting Tips

Recent form points the same way

Looking at the last seven Ligue 2 matches for each side, Saint Etienne have won five, drawn one and lost one, with only a home defeat to worry about. RED Star have won four, drawn twice and lost once, that loss coming at home to Reims.

RED Star FC 93: 20 completed matches; Saint Etienne: 20 completed matches.

RED Star FC 93

20 matches

Win

50% 10 / 20

Draw

15% 3 / 20

Loss

35% 7 / 20

Scored

35

Conceded

31

Difference

+4

Saint Etienne

20 matches

Win

45% 9 / 20

Draw

20% 4 / 20

Loss

35% 7 / 20

Scored

39

Conceded

28

Difference

+11

Both samples include earlier friendlies and last season's Ligue 1 games too, so it's worth focusing on the recent league run rather than the wider numbers. On that narrower view, Saint Etienne have been the more consistent of the two.

Comparative Team Statistics: RED Star FC 93 vs Saint Etienne

Honours shared lately

The two sides met twice last season and split the results, each winning at home. Saint Etienne won 2-0 back in March, while RED Star had earlier won 2-1 in November.

There's an older Coupe de France meeting from 2015 too, but that's too far back to say anything about either team now.

Just two points splitting them

Saint Etienne currently sit top with 16 points from seven games, one ahead of RED Star's 14 from the same number of matches. The gap in goal difference is more telling than the points gap.

Saint Etienne have scored 19 and conceded just 8 in that spell, while RED Star's numbers read 9 for and 7 against. Both are winning regularly, but Saint Etienne look sharper going forward.

Saint Etienne's stronger goal difference hints at a bit more control, even with the table so tight.

Where the goals have come from

Saint Etienne's threat looks well spread, with Cardona, Boakye and Ballo all on four goals apiece in seven matches, and Cardona also leading the way with four assists. RED Star's main source of goals has been Durand, also on four in seven.

RED Star FC 93:

Best scorers:

D. Durand - 4

Best assist providers:

K. Cabral - 2

Penalty cards:

Mahamadou Diawara x 1 x 1

S. Khaoui x 2

Saint Etienne:

Best scorers:

I. Cardona - 4

A. Boakye - 4

T. Ballo - 4

Best assist providers:

I. Cardona - 4

A. Boakye - 3

T. Ballo - 2

Penalty cards:

A. Boakye x 2

A couple of players on both sides have picked up two yellow cards in that run, and RED Star's Diawara has already seen red once in just two matches, though that's a small sample and doesn't confirm who's available for this game.

How it might play out

With both teams scoring and conceding at a similar rate recently, this has the look of a tight contest between two sides who know how to win matches. Saint Etienne's tighter defensive record could be the difference if the game stays cagey.

Given how recently they've traded home wins over each other, there's no obvious reason to expect a one-sided result here.