The reigning French champions are in all kind of troubles at the moment as they prepare to host Saint-Etienne on Friday
La Paillade have only won once this season and are 16th in the league with only four points on the table. And things aren’t looking good for Rene Girard’s side following their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League clash on
Tuesday.
French Ligue 1 is set to enter in Week 6, with the opening game set to take place at Stade de la Mosson. Hosts Montpellier would be looking to get back to winning ways when they face Christophe Galtier’s side, who are also struggling in the league at the
moment.
The departure of Ligue 1 golden boot winner, Olivier Giroud, has left a massive hole in Montpellier’s ranks and the reigning champions are finding it tough to move on from that loss.
However, Rene Girard is remaining optimistic about his side’s chances this season, and would be looking to get all three points on Friday.
AS Saint-Etienne aren’t in the best of forms either, making the match more interesting. The Ligue 1 outfit is currently sitting 9th in the table with 6 points after 5 games.
The visitors are coming in the game having lost to 19th places FC Sochaux, and coach, Christophe Galtier would be hoping to take advantage of MHSC’s bad form.
Le Verts have always given a hard time to Montpellier, and a mouth-watering encounter is expected between the two sides on Friday.
Team News
Montpellier
Emanuel Herrera is in contention to start the match after starting from bench against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 in midweek.
Rémy Cabella, who scored Montpellier’s only goal against Stade de Reims in their last game, has been declared fit after shrugging off a minor knock sustained in La Paillade’s Champions League clash.
AS Saint-Etienne
The visitors would be hoping to have their star player, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, in their starting eleven after the player missed team’s last training session.
Apart from him, Christophe Galtier has a fully fit squad at his disposal, giving him a selection headache.
Key Players
Younes Belhanda – Montpellier
The http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Morocco-c2961 international has been an influential player for Montpellier over the last couple of years, and the youngster scored a goal against Arsenal in their Champions League game.
The 22-year-old will cause the visitors all kinds of troubles at Stade de la Mosson, and Rene Girard will look to his star player for inspiration on Friday.
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa – Montpellier
The captain would be hoping to lead from front and anything but a win would be unacceptable to the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899 international.
While Belhanda is getting all the plaudits for his attacking game and flair, Yanga-Mbiwa presence at the heart of the defence would be the key for the champions in their defence of the title.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – AS Saint-Etienne
The striker already has two goals to his name in the Ligue 1 this season and the visitors will be looking to the 23-yaer-old to inspire them to victory on Friday.
Prediction
Both sides are far from their best at the moment and it would be hard to predict a winner at Stade de la Mosson. Montpellier played in the midweek, and it will be hard for the players to play two games in span of four days.
Both teams lack attacking flair and it won’t be surprising if both teams play out a draw.
Final Predicted Score: Montpellier 1-1 Saint-Etienne
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