Saint-Etienne vs Manchester United
UEFA Europa League 2016/17
22th February, 21:00 GMT+4
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne


St Etienne v Manchester United predictions for Wednesday’s Europa League game. With one eye on Sunday’s EFL Cup Final, will Manchester United secure a place in the last-16 of the Europa League when they take on French side St Etienne? Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.

Saint-Etienne vs Manchester United Preview and Prediction

It is a big week for Manchester United, who have an EFL Cup Final showdown with Southampton coming up on Sunday. But before then there is the small matter of trying to secure a place in the last-16 of the Europa League when they visit St Etienne on Wednesday night.

Manager Jose Mourinho will have one eye on the trip to Wembley Stadium when he names his side for the second leg of the this European tie, but the Portuguese has the luxury of a commanding lead after his side ran out 3-0 winners in the first leg at Old Trafford. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the hero on that night, scoring his first hat-trick in United’s famous colours, and the Swede did see some action in the weekend FA Cup win at Blackburn Rovers that saw the Red Devils extend an excellent run of form that has seen them lose just one of their last 24 competitive outings.

Ibrahimovic is likely to be one of a few first-team regulars that are rested for Wednesday’s meeting with St Etienne, and a weakened XI is a big reason why I am not expecting Manchester United to win this second leg. Another reason is that they simply do not need to win. Mourinho’s side go into the game with a healthy three-goal lead from the first leg and they are not going to be taking an unnecessary risks that could allow the French side to get back into this tie.

And my final reason is St Etienne’s strong home form this season. Les Verts are hot on the heels of the top four in France’s top flight and a massive reason for that is their solid home form. While it is not exactly spectacular, St Etienne have lost just once at home in the league this season and that was back in November when they hosted then-league leaders Nice. They have done a great job of avoiding defeat at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard this season and I expect them to draw with United on Wednesday night.

I also expect this to be a low-scoring affair. St Etienne’s solid home form this season has been built on a stubborn defence that has conceded just six times in Ligue 1, and it is a unit that has been performing much better at home than it has on its travels. It will be boosted by the fact it is unlikely to come up against the likes of Ibrahimovic, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba on Wednesday night, so I am not expecting United to repeat their three-goal showing from first leg, but at the same time I do not expect St Etienne to rattle in many – if any – at the other end.


St Etienne v Manchester United Stats

This is only the fourth competitive meeting between Manchester United and St Etienne
Manchester United faced St Etienne in the first round of the 1977/78 Cup Winners’ Cup, with United winning 3-1 on aggregate
Manchester United won 3-0 in the first leg of this Europa League last-32 tie
Manchester United won all three of their group stage games this season, conceding just one goal
Manchester United have lost just one of their last 24 games in all competitions
St Etienne have lost just one of their 11 games in the Europa League this season
Seven of St Etienne’s 11 Europa League outings this season have seen two or less goals

St Etienne v Manchester United Predictions :Both team to score, over 2.5 goal ,draw