Saint-Etienne must win to have any chance of avoiding relegation to Ligue 2 on the final day of the Ligue 1 season. Les Verts are chasing 18th-place Metz in the Ligue 1 table going into the final day of the campaign.
Metz are in the relegation playoff place courtesy of back-to-back wins. The teams are level on 31 points, but Metz’s better goal difference of –29 compared to Saint-Etienne's –35 has them outside the automatic relegation zone.
📅 Les Verts ont cinq jours pour préparer leur déplacement à Nantes (ce samedi, 21h).— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) May 16, 2022
📅 Les Verts ont cinq jours pour préparer leur déplacement à Nantes (ce samedi, 21h).
Nantes are not the team Saint-Etienne would want to face on the final day. The Canaries are the 2022 Coupe de France winners and, for the most part, are playing inspired football.
Nantes were relegation fighters a season ago. This time around, they have thrived in Ligue 1, picking up silverware in the cup and reaching the table’s top half. Nantes cannot finish any lower than 10th place. However, they cannot finish any higher than ninth.
Draws have dominated the last six fixtures between these teams. Three of the last six matches ended as stalemates while Nantes picked up two wins to Saint-Etienne's one. The Canaries are unbeaten in four straight games versus Les Verts. Earlier this season, Nantes went to Saint-Etienne and won 1-0.
Nantes took eight points from the last 18 points on offer in the league. They scored 14 goals and conceded 13 times. The Canaries are coming off of a 3-2 loss to Lyon away from home. The defeat ended a three-match unbeaten streak.
Saint-Etienne are on a four-game losing streak in Ligue 1. They took a mere four points from the last 18 points on offer. Les Verts have been struggling for multiple seasons and relegation has been coming. Saint-Etienne were outscored 15-8 across the last six matches in Ligue 1.
There were over 2.5 goals scored in Nantes's last five games in Ligue 1. The Canaries have seen plenty of goals recently and it is likely that Saturday’s game will finish with more than 2.5 goals tallied. There were over 2.5 goals scored in seven of Saint-Etienne's last eight Ligue 1 games.
Two players will miss the match for Nantes. Former Liverpool midfielder Pedro Chirivella is ruled out with a groin injury and defender Charles Traore is out with an ACL injury.
There are no fresh injuries for Saint-Etienne going into the weekend. Les Verts are led in goals by striker Wahbi Khazri with 10 this season. Saint-Etienne's issues have been conceding goals. They have allowed the second-most goals with 76.
Saint-Etienne should let in goals once more at Nantes. The Canaries will pick up a 3-2 win to seal Saint-Etienne's fate in Ligue 2.