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Sunday sees Clermont play host to Saint-Etienne at the Stade Gabriel Montpied in a Ligue 1 match.
Clermont are currently sitting in 15th place, while Saint-Etienne are still propping up the league at the bottom of the table.
Will Saint-Etienne be able to pull themselves up the table with a win, or will they be condemned to more trouble?
Clermont vs Saint-Etienne Head-to-Head
After suffering through a really sticky patch that saw them win just one match in 11 and dropping all the way down to 18th at one point, Clermont have turned things around somewhat in recent weeks.
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They defeated high-flyers Rennes in their most recent home game, and then managed to upset Nice too, beating them 0-1 in a tough away game last weekend.
Clermont’s defense still looks dodgy, as they have conceded 39 goals thus far – more than just three other Ligue 1 sides – but if they can play as well as they’ve done in their last two matches, they might be able to survive.
Saint-Etienne have also turned things around in recent weeks, as they’ve pulled out two wins to give them some hope of retaining their Ligue 1 status.
Last weekend saw them beat on-form Montpellier in a major upset, while the game before that saw them defeat Angers. After a run of seven straight losses, these wins were just what they needed.
However, Saint-Etienne have still conceded the second-most goals in the entire competition, and the fact that they remain bottom of the table is still a cause for serious worry.
The last game between these sides took place in November and saw Saint-Etienne run out 3-2 winners.
Clermont form guide: D-L-L-W-W
Saint-Etienne form guide: L-L-W-L-W
Clermont vs Saint-Etienne Team News
Clermont
Clermont have two players out with COVID-19, while Jean-Claude Billong is likely to miss out too.
Injured: Jean-Claude Billong
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Josue Albert, Saif-Eddine Khaoui
Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne are likely to have three players miss out on this game with injuries.
Injured: Enzo Crivelli, Bakary Sako, Gabriel Silva
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Clermont vs Saint-Etienne Predicted XI
Clermont predicted XI (4-3-3): Ouparine Djoco, Akim Zedadka, Cedric Hountondji, Alidu Seidu, Vital N’Simba, Salis Abdul Samed, Johan Gastien, Yohann Magnin, Jim Allevinah, Mohamed Bayo, Elbasan Rashani
Saint-Etienne predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Paul Bernardoni, Falaye Sacko, Adil Aouchiche, Mickael Nade, Yvann Macon, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Arnaud Nordin, Timothee Kolodziejczak, Denis Bouanga, Wahbi Khazri, Romain Hamouma
Clermont vs Saint-Etienne Prediction
This should be a close game given the turnaround in form that both of these sides have produced in the last couple of weeks.
Both sides should be capable of scoring goals here, but neither is solid enough at the back to ensure a shutout. Therefore, it’s likely that we could see goals.
However, the most likely result appears to be a draw.
Prediction: Clermont 2-2 Saint-Etienne
