Saint-Etienne vs Rodez prediction

Philippe Montanier's team is eager to make a comeback to Ligue 1 after finishing the season in 3rd place. While they secured a direct passage past the first round of the promotion playoffs, a successful advance further remains essential, having narrowly missed overtaking Le Mans by just two points. It's worth noting Saint-Étienne's offensive prowess, boasting 59 goals - the second-best tally in the league. However, their defense occasionally faltered, conceding 38 goals, ranking them outside the top 5 in reliability.

Recent matches have been a mixed bag when it comes to consistency. Convincing home victories (4-0) against Annecy and (5-0) against Amiens were followed by disappointing losses (0-3) to Troyes and (1-2) to Rodez. On the bright side, their scoring threat remains formidable, with players like Stassin (11+8) and Davitashvili (14+5) making it into the top 10 in points.

Didier Santini's squad barely scraped into the playoffs from 5th place, despite a phenomenal finish consisting of a 20-match unbeaten streak and four wins in their last five outings. The turnaround was crucial since the team had a tough start to the tournament. Nevertheless, the coaching staff transformed their tactical approach to a more offensive style, which swiftly translated into results. In their last four victories, they never scored less than two goals, with each of those matches seeing total goals surpass 2.5. They faced Red Star 93 away in the playoff quarter-finals, ultimately emerging victorious with a (3-2) win.