Saint-Etienne vs Paris Saint-Germain

Stade Geoffroy-Guichard plays host to a lopsided Ligue 1 showdown between relegation-threatened Saint Etienne and runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

As the Ligue 1 season enters its closing stages, Saint-Etienne’s quest to avoid an immediate second-tier return becomes more complicated amid an underwhelming nine-game winless run (D4, L5). Despite their dismal form, ‘Les Verts’ are still within striking distance of safety, trailing 15th-placed Reims by only three points. Eirik Horneland’s charges seemed on course to climb out of the bottom three before the international break, only for fans’ unrest to force the abandonment of their away game against Montpellier, with St Etienne 2-0 up! Though they face long odds in this fixture, the hosts have been impressive at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard this term, winning 17 of their 20 Ligue 1 points on home turf despite an ongoing four-game winless league streak here (D2, L2).

In the meantime, a record-extending 13th Ligue 1 title has become a mere formality for PSG after a 3-1 home win against second-placed Marseille extended their unassailable lead at the table’s summit to 19 points. Indeed, Luis Enrique’s team headed into the international break as the only side yet to lose a game in the French top flight this season (W21, D5), boasting an intimidating +48 goal difference (GF:73, GA:25). Virtually unplayable on the road, ‘Les Parisiens’ have avoided defeat on their last 37 league travels (W29, D8), suggesting they’re well-positioned to become only the second team in history to go unbeaten in their opening 27 Ligue 1 matches. On top of that, they’ve won their last four league clashes against St Etienne despite conceding on each occasion.