Ligue 1 Tips: Back St Etienne to triumph in basement battle | OneFootball

French Ligue 1

St Etienne boss Eirik Horneland should get the upper hand on Sunday

There are three great away selections that deserve support in the French top flight this weekend, writes James Eastham...

Betfair Saturday Football Superboost

It is a credit to Chris Wood's excellence this season that he is up there with Erling Haaland as one of the biggest attacking threats in the Premier League at the moment. Wood's Nottingham Forest travel to Ipswich while Haaland will lead the line for Man City at home to Brighton Saturday.

Betfair have boosted the odds on the pair each having one or more shots on target from 1/2 to 1/1 for this week's Saturday Football Superboost. With seven between them in their last six games we reckon it has a good chance of landng.

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Angers vs Monaco - Hosts' form a big concern

Saturday, 18:00Live on Ligue 1 PassThere is a clear gulf in class between these two sides, meaning Monaco should collect all three points this weekend.

The visitors go into the game nine places and 17 points above Angers in the standings. They have picked up four points from their last two matches and have everything to play for as they are challenging for a top-three final position.

Angers' home record against sides that, like Monaco, are currently in the top six is W0-D0-L4. Angers' current form is dismal, too: they have lost their last two matches to nil, conceding six goals.

Monaco are 1.48 to win. For bigger odds, back the visitors on the Asian Handicap. With our selection, your stakes will be refunded if Monaco win by a single goal, and you will make a profit if they win by two or more goals.

For a guide to Asian Handicap betting, click here.

Lens vs Rennes - Beye's boys will pick up points

Saturday, 20:05Live on Ligue 1 Pass

Lens look too short to claim all three points in this game between well-matched sides.

The hosts are 2.08, while Rennes are 3.9 and the Draw is 3.55. The odds on Lens do not reflect the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two teams, or the clear improvements Rennes have made since appointing Habib Beye as their new manager two months ago.

Rennes' record under Beye vs all opposition except PSG is an excellent W4-D0-L1. They have kept four clean sheets in those five matches, while scoring eight times.

On paper, Rennes' starting line-up is arguably stronger than that of Lens, who sold several of their top performers during the January transfer window. It all suggests the visitors should avoid defeat this weekend.

Our suggestion would be to lay Lens on the Exchange. An alternative on the Sportsbook would be to back Rennes and Draw on the Double Chance market at 4/6.

Montpellier vs St Etienne - In-form Stassin your scorer selection

Sunday, 16:15Live on Ligue 1 Pass

The bottom two go head-to-head in Ligue 1 this weekend and visitors St Etienne are the smart pick.

Montpellier are clear favourites, yet the short price on the hosts makes no sense when you look at the form of the two teams.

Montpellier are 2.22 to win, while St Etienne are 3.4 and the Draw is 3.7. It is hard to know why the market believes Montpellier have such a good chance to claim all three points.

Montpellier have lost their last six games, failing to score in five of them. They greatly weakened their attack by selling players in the January transfer window and have yet to recover from that.

St Etienne are a less than impressive W1-D4-L5 since Eirik Horneland was appointed manager at the start of the year but those top-line stats do not tell the full story.

The five teams St Etienne have lost to in 2025 are PSG, Marseille, Nice, Lille, and Rennes. Four of those five head into this weekend's fixures in the top five positions in the table, while Rennes - the other team - are greatly improving under new manager Habib Beye, as we have outlined above.

In five games under Horneland vs sides currently in the bottom six, St Etienne are unbeaten (W1-D4-L0). In other words, there is good evidence that St Etienne can avoid defeat this weekend against one of the division's weakest sides.

On the Sportsbook, St Etienne And Draw in the Double Chance market and St Etienne in the Draw No Bet market would be the selections to focus on. These two picks are available at 4/6 and 5/4 respectively, so it largely depends what level of risk you are happy to take.

Another selection to consider is Lucas Stassin in the Anytime Goalscorer market. Playing as the centre-forward in St Etienne's 4-3-3 formation, the young Belgian striker is in excellent form: he has scored in three of his last four starts, and five times in 10 starts since the turn of the year. Stassin can be backed at 12/5 to find the net.

Recommended bets

Back Monaco -1.0 Asian Handicap at Angers @ 1.75Lay Lens at home to Rennes @ 2.1Back St Etienne Draw No Bet @ 5/4

James' 2024-25 P/L

Staked: 59ptsReturned: +69.72ptsP/L: +10.72pts