Saint Etienne vs Paris Saint-Germain 18/02/19

18 February 2019

After grabbing a massive 2-0 away win over Manchester United in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, Paris Saint-Germain travel to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard to take on the Champions League promotion contenders Saint Etienne.

A lack of consistency followed by a lot of ups and downs has seen the hosts winning and losing in sequences. Les Verts have gone from four consecutive triumphs across the competitions to four games without a victory (D1, L3), but they still have a chance to qualify for the Champions League as they sit six points adrift of third-place Lyon. The Saints come into this meeting off the back of a vital 2-1 home win over Strasbourg, which was their ninth Ligue 1 home triumph this term (W9, D2, L1) – the second-best home record in the French top tier. Unlike some previous seasons, the most successful French club in history has provided entertainment to the neutral this year. 67% of St. Etienne’s L1 home clashes have produced over 2.5 goals, with Jean-Louis Gasset’s players notching 2+ match goals nine times in 12 home games this campaign, which is the joint-best record in the Ligue 1.

Meanwhile, the reigning holders have bounced back after suffering their first L1 defeat this season having beat Bordeaux 1-0 last time out. A period of minor crisis has seen PSG picking up just two wins on their previous five L1 road trips (W2, D2, L1) although they still remain the best away team in the French top flight (W7, D2, L1). No team has scored more goals away from home than the Parisians (26), while Thomas Tuchel’s men also boast the best away defensive record having conceded just nine goals in ten L1 road clashes. What’s more, the Paris heavyweights are unbeaten in all 18 of their previous H2H meetings with Saint Etienne across all competitions (W12, D6) having also picked up five wins on their last six visits to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (W5, D1).