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Dijon
Ligue 1 | Gameweek 13
Dec 6, 2020 at 2pm UK
Stade Gaston Gérard
Saint-Etienne
Dijon
0 - 0
St Etienne
FT

Moukoudi (22')

Preview: Dijon vs. Saint-Etienne - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Ligue 1 clash between Dijon and Saint-Etienne, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Dijon entertain Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with the hosts looking to move out of the relegation places in the table with a victory.

Former Leicester City and Southampton manager Claude Puel, meanwhile, will be looking to build on last weekend's 1-1 draw against Lille after an extremely difficult period for his side.


Match preview

Dijon manager Stephane Jobard pictured in February 2020© Reuters

Dijon may remain bottom of Ligue 1, but Stephane Jobard will have taken huge encouragement from his side's first victory of the season after an impressive 3-1 win away to Patrick Vieira's Nice last weekend.

A brace from Mama Balde sandwiched Ngonda Muzinga's strike to help the visitors take a 3-0 lead with only a third of the match remaining, with Amine Gouiri's late penalty proving to be nothing more than a consolation goal for the hosts.

Dijon's long-awaited win had arguably been coming, with three draws from their previous five matches suggesting that they were heading onto the right track.

As such, depending on results elsewhere, Jobard's side may have the chance to move out of the relegation places should they beat a St Etienne side who have lost seven of their last eight league matches, and remain without a win since mid-September. If Dijon perform as they did last weekend, they have every chance of doing so.

Saint-Etienne head coach Claude Puel pictured in October 2020© Reuters

Indeed, while Puel's side stopped a dismal run of seven consecutive defeats with the draw against Lille last matchday, it remains a turbulent time for Les Verts.

The hosts did at least appear more settled defensively, though, restricting their more talented opponents to only two shots on target across the 90 minutes. However, St Etienne never looked like scoring from open play, with former Sunderland midfielder Wahbi Khazri's penalty breaking the deadlock before Nanitamo Ikone levelled proceedings in the second half.

Having previously finished in the top half of Ligue 1 for nine straight seasons, it is worth remembering that St Etienne were 17th at the time all French football was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic in March, with the outbreak of the virus inadvertently preventing a realistic chance of them being relegated for the first time since dropping into the second tier at the end of the 1995-96 campaign.

Still one clear of Paris Saint-Germain with a record 10 Ligue 1 titles, expectations are clearly significantly lower at the moment, which may explain why Puel remains in his role as manager at the club. However, an eighth defeat in nine matches at Ligue 1's bottom-placed club on Sunday could see the board finally lose patience with the 59-year-old.

Dijon Ligue 1 form: DLDDLW

Saint-Etienne Ligue 1 form: LLLLLD


Team News

Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Etienne players fight in the Coupe de France final on July 24, 2020© Reuters

Jobard appears to be in the enviable position of having no injuries or suspensions to contend with, allowing him to pick the same XI which performed so well at Nice last week.

Balde's four league goals this season now represents half of Dijon's overall tally, so they will need the forward firing once again as they look to move out of the bottom three.

Puel is not quite so fortunate on the availability front, with Yvann Macon's cruciate ligament rupture keeping him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

Yvan Neyou is also suspended for the trip to Dijon having picked up his fifth booking in 10 starts against Lille last week, so there is a chance 17-year-old Lucas Gourna-Douath may come into the side for his third start of the season.

Dijon possible starting lineup:
Racioppi; Boey, Manga, Panzo, Ngonda; Ndong, Diop; Ebimbe, Celina, Chouiar; Balde

Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Moulin; Debuchy, Moukoudi, Kolodziejczak, Trauco; Youssouf, Camara, Gourna-Douath, Bouanga; Khazri, Hamouma


SM words green background

We say: Dijon 2-1 Saint-Etienne

With Dijon finally recording their first win of the season, we can see them making it six points from two matches against a St Etienne side devoid of confidence at present.

Puel's side are essentially playing without a recognised number nine, so it would be little surprise to see Balde proving decisive for the hosts.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data


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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Saint-Etienne win with a probability of 36.07%. A win for Dijon had a probability of 36.03% and a draw had a probability of 27.9%.

The most likely scoreline for a Saint-Etienne win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.11%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.77%) and 0-2 (6.57%). The likeliest Dijon win was 1-0 (11.1%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.13%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood.


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Lille head coach Christophe Galtier pictured on November 5, 2020
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Auxerre291510453282555
2Angers29155942321050
3Saint-EtienneSt Etienne29146936231348
4Laval2913973529648
5Rodez AFRodez AF29111084740743
6GuingampGuingamp2911993731642
7Paris FCParis FC2911993430442
8Caen29126113937242
9AmiensAmiens29101272627-142
10Grenoble29101093633340
11PauPau29101094242040
12Ajaccio29108112833-538
13Bordeaux29108113237-537
14DunkerqueDunkerque29107122940-1137
15Troyes29811103336-335
16Bastia2997132937-833
17Concarneau2996143040-1033
18Annecy2979133340-730
19Quevilly29513113538-328
20Valenciennes29211161740-2317

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