St Helens vs Catalans predictions: Saints to put Dragons to the sword
- Catalans Dragons have won their last five games against St Helens
- Catalans Dragons have conceded exactly 30 points in their previous two away games
- Recommended bet: St Helens -9.5 handicap
Catalans Dragons have had the better of St Helens in their most recent meetings but the boot might well be on the other foot when the teams meet at the Totally Wicked Stadium on Friday night.
The Dragons have struggled on their travels lately, suffering heavy defeats at both the Leigh Leopards and Wigan Warriors ahead of their trip to Merseyside this week.
Saints have been strong on their own patch and will be confident they can overcome the Perpignan outfit to maintain their position at the top of the Super League standings.
Team news
St Helens will have to do without Joe Batchelor after he suffered an ankle ligament injury in the 40-10 win over Leeds Rhinos at the Totally Wicked Stadium last time out.
Batchelor is set to be sidelined for eight to nine weeks, while skipper Jonny Lomax also suffered a hand fracture against Leeds and will be out for around four weeks.
Head coach Paul Wellens has revealed prop Agnatius Paasi is available to play after he was sidelined with ankle ligament, ACL and MCL injuries.
As for Catalans, the Dragons were boosted by the returns of Ben Garcia, Paul Seguier and Jordan Dezaria last week in the 16-8 defeat at home to the Warrington Wolves.
Veteran hooker Michael McIlorum missed that game against the Wire, and it’s uncertain whether Friday’s game on Merseyside will come too soon for the former Wigan star.
The stats
Catalans have impressed in the recent meetings between these two sides, having won their last five games against St Helens.
However, the Dragons have been struggling away from home of late, conceding exactly 30 points in their last two away games against Wigan and Leigh.
St Helens are on a four-game winning streak at home in Super League, with their last defeat at the Totally Wicked Stadium in this competition coming against Salford Red Devils on March 8.
Prediction
Even with the injury blows for St Helens, their home form has been impressive in recent weeks, and they should have enough quality to beat a Catalans side that have struggled to compete away from their home in Perpignan.
Saints looked impressive in dismantling the Rhinos by 30 points last time out and, while it might not be such a comprehensive win over the Dragons, they can still send Catalans back across the Channel with nothing to show for their efforts.
