On the day following the cancellation of the Ligue 1 match between ANG and SAI due to COVID-19, the two teams prepare for battle in Wednesday’s clash at the Stade Raymond Kopa with kickoff at 9 pm.
Gerald Baticle’s team beat Troyes 2-1 over the weekend, while the side’s upcoming opponent, Lyon, lost 1-0 to Montpellier.
After failing to maintain their promising early-season form, Angers will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs this season, but Thomas Mangani’s 12-yard strike helped them get past Troyes’s last time out.
The promoted outfit threatened to spring a surprise when Brandon Domingues struck early. Still, Mangini leveled from the spot after Billal Brahimi was fouled before scoring again after Mathias Pereira Lage was brought down.
Angers’ first win of 2022 has given them a boost going into their rescheduled midweek game, as Les Scoistes now occupy the 12th spot in the table after 21 matches – just two points behind Lyon and three behind under-performing champions Lille.
During this weekend’s fixtures, the Angers were on the right side of the penalty calls. At the same time, Saint-Etienne suffered a defeat at home to Lyon, despite criticizing a spot-kick given away by Timothee Kolodziejczak in their game against OSC Lille.
With the appointment of Pascal Dupraz yet to inspire a turnaround in fortunes, Saint-Etienne remains rock bottom of the French top flight and are eight points adrift of safety in 17th with a game in hand.
Angers vs. St. Etienne Head to Head
Both sides have 13 games against each other, with hosts taking 6 wins while opponents with 2 wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Angers 2-1 Troyes
- Lorient 0-0 Angers
- Montpellier 4-1 Angers
- Linas Monttlhery 2-0 Angers
- Angers 0-1 Clermont Foot
Away
- Lyon 1-0 St. Etienne
- Etienne 1-2 RC Lens
- Jura Sud 1-4 St. Etienne
- Etienne 0-1 FC Nantes
- Lyon 0-1 St. Etienne
Angers Team News
Four players from Angers—Sofiane Boufal, Stephane Bahoken, Enzo Ebosse, and Azzedine Ounahi—have all earned call-ups to the Africa Cup of Nations, with Cameroon and Morocco both making the knockout stages as expected.
St. Etienne Team News
Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne has many players at the Africa Cup of Nations with Harold Moukoudi, Yvan Neyou, Saidou Sow, Wahbi Khazri and Denis Bouanga. Paul Bernardoni and Sada Thioub could be in action for the away side after signing for Angers in January.
Prediction and Odds
Despite losing many of their top attacking players to injury and international duty, Saint-Etienne can still expect to win against the inconsistent Angers defense.
- Double Chance
- Draw
- Both Teams to Score
