On Saturday evening, Metz hosts Amiens in Ligue 2, as both teams look to kick off their new campaigns in the French second tier with a victory.
The home side suffered relegation from Ligue 1 last season, finishing 19th place in the table and five points from the safety of 17th place. The main issue that Metz needs to put right is a lack of goals, as they were the joint-lowest scorers in the French top tier. Since their relegation, Metz have won three of their five pre-season friendlies and will be confident of mounting a promotion campaign for a quick return to Ligue One.
#FCMASC [ ℙ𝕣𝕠 ]🏟 #𝐵𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑒𝐴𝑢𝐶𝑙𝑢𝑏 🤝 Les Grenats retrouvent le 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁-𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻 ce samedi face à @AmiensSC 🥰🎟 Assistez à cette 1ère journée de @Ligue2BKT 👉 https://t.co/Q9Nko1eQjK— FC Metz ☨ (@FCMetz) July 27, 2022
#FCMASC [ ℙ𝕣𝕠 ]🏟 #𝐵𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑒𝐴𝑢𝐶𝑙𝑢𝑏 🤝 Les Grenats retrouvent le 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁-𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻 ce samedi face à @AmiensSC 🥰🎟 Assistez à cette 1ère journée de @Ligue2BKT 👉 https://t.co/Q9Nko1eQjK
Metz last featured in the French second tier in season 2018/19, when they won the Ligue 2 title with the best defensive record in the division. They ended the promotion campaign by losing just one of their final 18 games of the season.
The visitors endured a poor campaign in Ligue 2 last season, finishing 14th place, just four points clear of the relegation zone. One positive for Amiens from last season was their defensive record, as only six teams in the second tier conceded fewer goals.
Despite that positive, Amiens ended the Ligue 2 campaign with a seven-game winless run, picking up four draws and suffering three defeats. Their matches towards the end of the season were low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in seven of their last nine league matches.
Amiens also has a poor recent away record in Ligue 2, having won just once in their last 18 league matches on their travels. Their recent away matches have also been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in four of their previous five away games.
Forebet predicts that Metz will make a winning return to Ligue 2 in a low-scoring encounter, adding to Amiens's winless run in the French second tier.