20 September 2021, 09:54 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The French Ligue 1 fixture, AS Monaco vs. AS Saint-Etienne, kicks off at 18:00 (GMT+1) on Wednesday, September 22, at the 18,523-capacity Stade Louis II.
Preview Monaco Ligue 1, Sep 22, 2021
Preview AS Monaco will be coming off the back of Saturday's hard-fought 2-2 draw against OGC Nice at the Allianz Riviera. Aleksandr Golovin (39') had put Monaco in front before Andy Delort (51') struck for the leveller twelve minutes later. With slightly over a quarter-hour left on the clock, Wissam Ben Yedder (77' P.) restored parity from the penalty spot after Hicham Boudaoui (73') had given Nice the lead. Niko Kovac was happy with the draw. I would say the game was 50-50, he said. We dominated in the first half, Nice were the best team in the second half, and we are happy not to have conceded a goal from their penalty, he added. It was the first draw in the last five games for Monaco: LLWLD, which leaves the club in 14th place, having picked up 5 points from 1W, 2D, & 3L. Monaco's performance in the final third leaves them with an average of 0.83 goals per game after picking up 5 goals in 6 Ligue 1 matches. The club has conceded 9 goals, - an average of 1.5 goals conceded per game, and have a G.D. of -4. A 4—3—3 formation with the trio consisting of Aleksandr Golovin, Wissam Ben Yedder, and Gelson Martins is expected in attack on Wednesday against St-Etienne. Jean Marcelin remains sidelined with a muscle strain and is in doubt for this fixture.
Preview Saint-Étienne Ligue 1, Sep 22, 2021
Preview AS St-Etienne will make the return after Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Bordeaux at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. It was the third consecutive defeat (DDLLL) for the white and green wearing side with Wahbi Khazri (73') scoring St-Etienne's only goal. But a brace from Hwang Ui-jo (7' & 80') saw the Marines and Whites crowned winners after the contest of ninety minutes. The defeat leaves the club at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table in 19th place, having picked up only 3 points after six games: 0W, 3D, & 3L. Saint-Etienne have an average of 1 goal scored per game after six games and have conceded 11 goals (1.83 goals-conceded-per-match) over the short length of the season. Manager Claude Puel will be under pressure when he makes his appearance in the dug-out, knowing he must leave the Stade Louis II with a point to reverse the team's ugly run of defeats. The 60-year-old could emerge alongside Sainté with a 3—4—2—1 formation against Monaco on Matchday 7, having Ignacio Ramírez in attack. Wahbi Khazri, who happens to be the club's top scorer with three goals, is expected behind the 24-year-old while playing alongside the skipper, Romain Hamouma.