Dijon VS Monaco - France Ligue 1, Match Preview

Match Time：12/20/2020 22:00 Sunday  (GMT+8)

France Ligue 1 --  Dijon   VS   Monaco

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Dijon and Monaco will both be aiming to bounce back from midweek defeats in Ligue 1 when the two sides go head to head at the Stade Gaston-Gerard on Sunday afternoon.

 

The hosts succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Lille in their most recent outing, whereas Monaco were no match for newly-promoted Lens as they lost their third game on the bounce.

 

Match preview

Dijon have certainly steadied the ship since David Linares took charge, but attempting to stop a rampant Lille side in their tracks was always going to be a step too far.The much-coveted Yusuf Yazici opened the scoring before Timothy Weah came off the bench to double Lille's lead in the dying seconds, with Dijon seeing their three-game unbeaten run come to an abrupt end at the hands of the league leaders.

 

Linares's men are still bottom of the pile after 15 matches, but Les Hiboux have shown signs of a revival in recent weeks, and Dijon's defeat to Lille was only their second loss in seven games.

 

However, Dijon are still the only team in the division yet to reach the 10-point or 10-goal mark, but the few sides above them have hardly been in better form themselves.

 

Les Hiboux could lift themselves off the bottom with a win should Nimes and Lorient lose to Saint-Etienne and Rennes respectively, but Dijon cannot rise any higher than 18th as Reims sit four points clear of Ligue 1's basement team as things stand.

 

Despite the 12 places and 14 points separating the two sides in the table, Monaco's form is certainly more concerning than Dijon's at this moment in time.

 

Les Monegasques have slipped away from the European-chasing pack with three defeats on the bounce in the French top flight, with Niko Kovac witnessing his side come up short against Lille and Marseille before a 3-0 home defeat to an effervescent Lens outfit on Wednesday.

 

Sang et Or took just 35 seconds to break the deadlock as Issiaga Sylla lashed home at the far post, and things went from bad to worse for Kovac as Axel Disasi was shown an early red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

 

Gael Kakuta and Simon Banza made sure of the win before the half-time whistle blew against the 10 men of Monaco, who now find themselves seven points outside of the top three amid their losing streak, and Kovac's men travel to Dijon following five defeats from their last six on the road.

 

Dijon overcame Monaco on their own patch as recently as the 2018-19 campaign, and the league's basement side managed to hold Les Monegasques to a 1-1 draw in this fixture last season.

 

Dijon Ligue 1 form: DLWDDL

 

Monaco Ligue 1 form: WWWLLL

 

Team News

Dijon have no fresh concerns from their loss to Lille, but the hosts nevertheless have several players sidelined in Yassine Benzia, Roger Assale, Wesley Lautoa and Senou Coulibaly.

 

Eric Ebimbe should return to the right flank for this one over Frederic Sammaritano, while Jordan Marie and Sacha Boey are also pushing for starting roles against Les Monegasques.

 

Monaco's Disasi will play no part in this one owing to his red card against Lens, so Benoit Badiashile will come straight back into the defence.

 

Pietro Pellegri came on as a substitute in the midweek defeat before being forced off with a knee injury, but Kovac has confirmed that the teenager's issue is not serious and he should be fine for the weekend.

 

Aleksandr Golovin is back in training following a hamstring problem but may not be cleared just yet, while Cesc Fabregas and Benjamin Lecomte are still working their way back from injuries.

 

Dijon possible starting lineup:

Racioppi; Boey, Manga, Panzo, Muzinga; Ndong, Cheikh; Ebimbe, Celina, Chouiar; Konate

 

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Mannone; Aguilar, Maripan, Badiashile, Henrique; Martins, Fofana, Tchouameni, Diop; Ben Yedder, Volland

 

Prediction: Dijon 0-2 Monaco

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