SAINT-OUEN, France (Interstat) — Red Star will host St Etienne on Friday at Stade de Paris in Saint-Ouen in a Ligue 2 matchup. Red Star will be the home team, while St Etienne will be the visiting side. The match gives Red Star a chance to build on its early-season form, while St Etienne aims to continue its strong start.

St Etienne has seven wins, one loss and one draw across all competitions. Red Star has five wins, one loss and two draws. St Etienne most recently beat Rodez 2-0 at home. Earlier this season, St Etienne beat Sion 5-1, drew 2-2 with Metz, lost 2-1 at Dunkerque, beat Montpellier 3-1, won 3-2 at Dijon FCO, beat Grenoble 4-0, beat Clermont 3-1 and won 3-0 at Sochaux. The visitors have shown scoring depth and a steady defensive record during the campaign.

Red Star most recently won 3-2 at Clermont. It also beat Guingamp 3-1, beat Metz 1-0, won 2-1 at Stade Lavallois Mayenne FC, lost 4-1 to Reims, drew 1-1 with Boulogne, drew 0-0 with Sochaux and won 1-0 at Nantes. Red Star has mixed tight wins with setbacks, but its overall record keeps it in the upper half of the early-season standings.

Red Star’s home matches this season include a 1-0 win over Metz, a 4-1 loss to Reims and a 0-0 draw with Sochaux. St Etienne’s away matches include a 2-2 draw at Metz, a 2-1 loss at Dunkerque, a 3-2 win at Dijon FCO and a 3-0 win at Sochaux.

Gautier Larsonneur is a player to watch for St Etienne. He played 90 minutes in a 5-1 win over Sion earlier this season. Larsonneur’s presence and experience could be important as St Etienne faces a Red Star side that has been competitive at home and difficult to break down in several matches.

After this game, St Etienne’s next 10 scheduled matches include two home games against Nantes, two trips to Guingamp, home matches against Stade Lavallois Mayenne FC and Laval, two road games at Reims, a home match against Nancy and a trip to Pau. Red Star’s next 10 include two trips to Montpellier, two home matches against Nancy, a trip to Dijon FCO, a home match against Pau, a trip to Dunkerque, a home match against Grenoble, a trip to Rodez and a home match against Annecy. Both clubs will continue a busy Ligue 2 stretch after the Friday match.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of St Etienne 2, Red Star 1. Interstat’s ELO system gives St Etienne a 50.3 percent probability to win.