**Saint-Étienne are the heavy favorites here** — they're riding a four-win streak at home, while Lavallois just can't find consistency. 🔴

ASSE's defense has tightened up recently (only one loss in five), but that 3-0 hammering at Guingamp is a reminder they're not untouchable. Lavallois, meanwhile, are all over the place: a win, a draw, two losses in their last four — classic mid-table chaos.

Key storylines:

- **Saint-Étienne's home form** is the story — unbeaten in recent weeks at Stade Geoffroy Guichard, and the head-to-head record (12 wins in 28 meetings) says they own this fixture
- **Stade Lavallois lack rhythm** — they've drawn with Clermont and lost to Nancy; going away to a dominant ASSE team is a tough ask
- **J. Duffus and A. Boakye** will be key to breaking down a shaky Lavallois backline that's conceding regularly

Expected lineups:

- **Saint-Étienne**: G. Larsonneur, B. Old, S. Nair, M. Bernauer, K. Pedro, Á. Csongvai, J. L. Cardinal, Z. Davitashvili, J. Breum, A. Boakye, J. Duffus
- **Stade Lavallois**: M. Samassa, J. Gaudin, W. Bianda, S. Bane, E. Mouton, A. Lô, S. Sanna, T. Bouriaud, M. Houdayer, A. Kanté, T. Dago

Prediction:

**Saint-Étienne 2–0 Stade Lavallois**

ASSE's home fortress is too strong for a Lavallois side still hunting for stability. Expect a workmanlike, clinical win.

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