St Etienne v Bordeaux Betting Tips: Goals on the cards at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

Two teams who’re still in the hunt for European football go head-to-head on Friday night as 7th place St Etienne play host to 5th place Bordeaux.

Of the two, it is Bordeaux who’re currently in with the best chance of securing that fifth and final European spot, but, if they were to win here, as a result of their game in hand, St Etienne would be right in there as the division turns for home.

Although both could really do with a win here, from a betting point of view, backing either to come out on top doesn’t appeal too much. Instead, ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ is the bet that catches the eye.

Aside from the current top three of Nice, Monaco and PSG, Bordeaux have been arguably the most impressive team in the division this season. Jocelyn Gourvennec doesn’t have at his disposal the names of a Lyon or a Marseille for example, but his team have impressed nonetheless by complimenting their attacking style with plenty of goals. As things stand, Friday’s visitors are currently Ligue 1’s sixth-highest scorers with 49 goals. Such a total might not sound great after 35 matches, but in a division that perhaps isn’t as high-scoring as the top flight in England, Spain or Germany, it’s actually very respectable.

The problem for Bordeaux has been of a defensive nature. For all their attacking quality, the visitors have often let themselves down when it comes to keeping their opposition out and have been particularly susceptible to the counter, especially on their travels. They may well have kept a clean sheet in each of their last two on the road, but prior to that, defending certainly didn’t appear to be their bag. What’s more, Bordeaux have kept just one clean sheet when facing top-six teams away from home this season. From five matches against such opposition, Jocelyn Gourvennec’s men have conceded seven goals, but did manage to score five. Unsurprisingly, ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ has landed in four of those five.

St Etienne aren’t exactly known as a high-scoring team; they tend to keep things fairly low-key at home, both scoring and conceding few goals. Having said this, the circumstances here might just force them to come out of their shell. Quite frankly, this is a must win game for Christophe Galtier’s team and they really ought to be getting on the front foot. Against a Bordeaux team who generally tend to entice their opposition into participating in an open encounter, goals are very much fancied. After all, when this pair met earlier in the season, they shared a total of five goals in a match that served up plenty of chances at both ends.

All in all, considering that there is plenty to play for here, plus Bordeaux’s attacking nature, this match is expected to serve up a few goals and thus ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ is worth supporting.

Friday’s Premier League tips can be found here.