Dijon Vs Lille
Sunday 12th January 2020 – 16:00 Kick-Off (Live on BT Sport)
French Ligue 1
Pick: Dijon or Draw (Double Chance)
Odds: 5/6
Bookmaker: Betway
French Ligue 1 Betting with 22Bet
(All betting odds displayed were correct at time of writing: 9th January 2020 at 16:00)
Preview: Fourth-placed Lille have their sights firmly set on those coveted Champions League places once again but must improve on their away performances if they’re to sustain a challenge. This Sunday sees them take on a Dijon outfit enjoying a quite stunning period of home form that could provide plenty of resistance at Stade Gaston Gerard.
Dijon Vs Lille Live Stats & Betting Odds
Dijon Preview – Cup win restored some much-needed confidence?
Last season concluded in nerve-wracking fashion, overcoming second tier side Lens in the relegation play-off to retain their Ligue 1 status after only putting enough points on the board throughout 2018/19 to finish third from bottom. Unless there is a notable improvement between now and the end of this term, a similarly nervy ending could await Dijon (16th – W4 D6 L9, GF14 GA22) in May, with the club merely a point above the same relegation play-off berth as things stand.
On the positive side of things, Les Moutardes can resume their Ligue 1 commitments on a high following last Sunday’s triumph in the Coupe de France. A 2-1 victory on the road against Valenciennes, who were in decent form beforehand and sit prominently in the Ligue 2 play-offs at present, ensured the club progressed onto the Round of 32 where a home match-up with Nimes awaits later in the month. In the meantime, improving upon some worrisome league form is the priority for coach Stephane Jobard.
Before the winter hiatus Dijon were enduring some disappointing form, going five consecutive league games without winning (D3 L2). The last of those a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw at home to Metz, who levelled matters in second-half stoppage time. That outcome maintained the team’s remarkable unbeaten run at home, however, which has seen them avoid losing in front of their own fans since August (W3 D4 since). A sequence made all the more impressive by the scalps of PSG and Rennes, beating the pair 2-1 at Stade Gaston Gerard.
Lille Preview – Away performances require urgent overhaul?
The new year has begun promisingly enough for Lille (4th – W9 D4 L6, GF24 GA21) with progress made in both of France’s cup competitions. A sloppy display away to fifth-tier Raon L’Etape, in which a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead was very nearly squandered before eventually holding out for a slender 3-2 victory, was followed by a much more assured performance at home to Amiens in the last-eight of the Coupe de la Ligue, dominating in a 2-0 win at home to reach the semi-finals.
Attentions now switch back towards Ligue 1 and building on what was an encouraging first-half to the term, but also one which could definitely be improved upon if they’re to maintain their push for Champions League football. None more so than a dreadful record on the road. Only the bottom-two of Nimes (4) and Toulouse (3) have collected fewer points from away matches since the start of the season than Les Douges (5), whose away record of W1 D2 L6 suggests they are uneasy favourites on Sunday.
To think that so far just 5 out of a possible 27 points were registered away from home is astonishingly bad for a team with such lofty ambitions. There is also an argument that the winter break came to their rescue, losing heavily away to Monaco immediately prior to Christmas as their four-match winning streak in the league came to an abrupt halt with a 5-1 loss at the Stade Louis II. Add to this that Lille have scored a paltry six times in away fixtures this season (compared with 18 at home) and are still to notch more than once in any away outing.
Dijon Vs Lille – Key Facts:
- Dijon are unbeaten at home in Ligue 1 since August (W3 D4) and have registered 75% of their overall points tally from said matches in 2019/20.
- Lille have failed to record a victory in eight out of nine away Ligue 1 fixtures so far this season (W1 D2 L6) – winning only at Lyon.
- The previous four league encounters were all won by Lille, though. All were by single-goal margins.
Betting Summary
If this were a simple case of glancing at the league table to find a winner, Lille (21/20 Betfair) would surely canter to victory. The recent head-to-head record between the two also favours that outcome, with Les Douges victorious in each of the past four Ligue 1 meetings – though all four were by single-goal margins. Yet this is a battle between a visiting side with one win away from home all season that doesn’t score often in said matches, and an underdog host in the shape of Dijon (16/5 WilliamHill) who are unbeaten on home soil for four months in the league.
Both teams are boosted by their recent cup triumphs. Opposing Lille seems the logical approach here, though, with their woeful away record comparing unfavourably to the admirable home exploits of Dijon, who have somehow managed to successfully avoid defeat when hosting teams of a similar stature to Lille this season, drawing with Marseille and even beating Rennes along with champions PSG.
