St Etienne vs Nice Predictions

• St Etienne have won six of their last eight home games (D1, L1)
• Nice are winless in five, losing twice
• Les Aiglons won 2-1 in the Coupe de France when these sides met in December

No time to wallow for Nice

Nice suffered Coupe de France heartache on Friday night as they lost 3-1 to Lens in the final but they need to pick themselves up quickly as their place in Ligue 1 is at stake.

Les Aiglons head to Saint Etienne for the first leg of the promotion/relegation play-off final on Tuesday in what could be a close affair over the two legs.

Nice overcame Les Verts 2-1 during their Coupe de France run back in November but they enjoyed a slice of luck in that game at an empty Allianz Arena. No spectators were allowed so Nice’s home advantage was perhaps minimised, but it was Saint Etienne who created more chances and dominated the ball despite ultimately losing.

ASSE have home advantage themselves in this latest meeting and they can strike first and claim a first leg lead against a Nice side who face a quick turnaround after their cup final defeat. Les Verts have been in poor form overall but at home they have remained solid. Saint Etienne have won six of their last eight home games and have been strong at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard all season, with 11 victories, and Nice come into the game in poor form with just one win in their last 10 and three defeats in their last six away from home.

Saint Etienne have six clean sheets in their last 10 home games and may be able to shut Nice out on Tuesday. A 1-0 home win is the pick as Nice’s defence hasn’t necessarily been the problem and they’ve only conceded more than one goal in two of their last eight games, and have only lost by more than one goal in one of those fixtures.

Les Verts forward Lucas Stassin stands out as a contender for an anytime effort after a productive season with 11 goals in 31 Ligue 2 games, four of which have come in his last six games at the Geoffroy-Guichard.