PSG v St Etienne: Preview and Prediction

PSG v St Etienne
French Ligue 1
Date: Friday, 9th September 2016
Kick Off: 19:45 BST 
Parc des Princes (Paris).

Is PSG coach Unai Emery already under pressure? The champions have lost already in Ligue 1 when they went down 3-1 against Monaco in their last game. They also have an interesting Champions League match against Arsenal next week which follows this match. But for now all eyes will be on PSG and how they can bounce back. They have of course lost David Luiz to Chelsea but Emery was set in his mind before the transfer that Luiz was not going to be part of PSG’s future plans anyway. Before the disaster at Monaco the club had kept clean sheets in their two opening games and the focus here will be to put in a professional job.

St Etienne have won 1 drawn 1 and lost 1 since the beginning of the season. The good news is that they have gone the last two games unbeaten although their last match was seen as a disappointment as they drew 0-0 with Toulouse at home.

PSG v St Etienne Head to Head

The recent head to head does not make easy reading for the away team where they have lost to PSG in the last five games. PSG have scored 9 goals in their last two home fixtures against Etienne conceding just a single goal. From the last ten fixtures there is a 50/50 chance of over 2.5 goals. From the last six fixtures PSG have only failed once to score at least 2 goals in this match.

PSG v St Etienne: Prediction

PSG have never been a great team when they have had a Champions League match looming just days after a league one. But they have significantly improved their mental strength through the years and they should be able to win this match. That doesn’t mean it will be with a big margin though. Etienne has proven that they are no pushovers and will have chances and possession at times, but PSG will just be too strong and should round up all three points with a professional if unspectacular victory.