Auxerre vs Saint-Etienne Prediction and Betting Odds | Ligue One May 26
Auxerre vs Saint-Etienne Betting Preview
WagerTalk soccer handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his thoughts on Thursday’s Auxerre vs Saint-Etienne clash in the France Ligue 1 playoffs. Saint-Etienne is looking to stay in the top division after an 18th-place finish, while Auxerre is looking to be promoted after finishing third in Ligue 2 this season.
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| Thursday, May 26 | France Ligue 1 Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Auxerre: | +150 |
| Saint-Etienne: | +185 |
| Draw: | +220 |
| Total: | 2.25 Goals (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
| Game Time: | 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT |
Auxerre vs Saint-Etienne Analysis
Saint-Etienne travels to Auxerre on Thursday night looking to stay in French Ligue 1 after narrowly avoiding automatic relegation with a 1-1 draw against Nantes on Sunday. That result has pushed them into this Thursday’s playoff leg.
Auxerre is looking to make its first move back to Ligue 1 in over ten years. Saint-Etienne has a poor head-to-head record against Auxerre, winning just one of their last ten against them overall.
Saint-Etienne’s Defense Remains A Major Concern
Saint-Etienne travels on the road here on Thursday night looking to ensure their French Ligue 1 survival, but their away form has been dismal overall this season. Just three wins from 19 away from home this year has planted Saint-Etienne firmly in the relegation battle, and they’re winless across each of their last seven games on the road also to close out the season.
With 18 goals conceded across those previous seven road games, Saint-Etienne will need to hope their offense can get it done here on Thursday rather than have to rely on their defense.
Auxerre’s Tremendous Home Record
Auxerre has been tremendous at home this season in Ligue 2, winning 11 of 19 games inside Stade de l’Abbe-Deschamps and losing just once at home since the start of February.
Even more impressive than that however is their record against current foes Saint-Etienne in this venue. Auxerre has lost just one of their last 23 head-to-head’s in this venue against Saint-Etienne (W14, D8, L1), so they will no doubt feel history is on their side in terms of claiming a place back at the top table of French league football starting here on Thursday.
Auxerre vs Saint-Etienne Prediction
It’s hard to look past Auxerre here on the +0 handicap line to win and cover against Saint-Etienne on Thursday. Only one Ligue 2 side has overcome a French Ligue 1 side over each of the last four playoff attempts, but we expect that to change between these two.
Saint-Etienne have struggled immensely away from home this season and have the third-highest expected goals against record to opponents on defense this year as well. That doesn’t bode well for them in this one facing a team in Auxerre who have banked 61 goals from just 38 games this season, the second highest mark in Ligue 2.
Despite the gulf in relative strength of schedule between the two teams, we expect Auxerre to cover this line at home on Thursday night against Saint-Etienne and put themselves in an advantageous position to advance into French Ligue 1 for the first time in over a decade ahead of Sunday’s leg two.
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Meet the Author
‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.
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