Metz will be looking to stretch their unbeaten run in the French top flight to seven games when they welcome managerless Dijon to the Stade Saint-Symphorien on Sunday.
Metz overcame Nimes by a goal to nil in their most recent fixture, whereas Dijon played out a goalless stalemate with Lorient in gameweek nine.
Match preview
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The return of Frederic Antonetti to the Metz dugout has certainly lifted the spirits of Les Grenats on and off the pitch, with this weekend's hosts going unbeaten in their last six in the French top flight - winning four of them.
Metz's campaign began with three lowly 1-0 defeats to European-chasing sides in Monaco, Lille and Paris Saint-Germain, but Antonetti's men have not tasted defeat since their loss to the champions and have only shipped seven goals this season thus far - only the top two sides in PSG and Lille have conceded fewer.
Antonetti's men will endeavour to secure their third-straight victory this weekend having overcome Saint-Etienne and Nimes in the past couple of weeks, with Lamine Gueye notching up the solitary goal against the latter, and the friendly fixtures continue for Metz after their showdown with Dijon as out-of-form sides Nantes and Brest lie in wait for Les Grenats following the international break.
Fans were concerned about the prospect of Metz tailing off following the loss of the prolific Ibrahima Niane - who netted six times before rupturing his ACL - but Metz have coped tremendously well without the 21-year-old and will certainly feel confident of registering another win against a Dijon side still waiting for their first one of the season.
Dijon's ninth game without a win in the 2020-21 Ligue 1 season proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Stephane Jobard, who has since been relieved of his duties by the division's basement side along with sporting director Peguy Luyindula.
Les Hiboux are now searching for a new leader as well as a first victory of the campaign, with Jobard's final game in charge seeing Dijon share the spoils in a 0-0 draw with Lorient, which was their first clean sheet of the season.
Former Nimes manager Bernard Blaquart has reportedly rejected an approach by Dijon to become their new manager, meaning that David Linares is set to take temporary charge of the strugglers as they look to begin life without Jobard with an unlikely victory at the home of an in-form Metz outfit.
It is possible for Dijon to lift themselves off the foot of the table this weekend with a win, but they would need to hope for a six-goal swing in their favour as Strasbourg face Marseille on Friday before the managerless Hiboux take to the pitch two days later.
The solitary meeting between Dijon and Metz last season ended in a 2-2 stalemate, and this weekend's visitors have only triumphed once in their last six showdowns with Les Grenats.
Metz Ligue 1 form: WDWDWW
Dijon Ligue 1 form: LDLDLD
Team News
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Metz left-back Matthieu Udol was sent off in the win over Nimes and will miss out here, as will Victorien Angban for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Thomas Delaine is a shoo-in to start on the left-hand side of defence in Udol's absence, while Vincent Pajot could return to the middle of the park assuming he recovers from muscular discomfort in time.
Mamadou Fofana is another option for Antonetti, with question marks hanging over the head of defender John Boye surrounding his involvement in this one, although the captain has been called up to the Ghana squad for their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Dijon will be without Jonathan Panzo for this one as he serves a suspension, meaning that Senou Coulibaly should partner Bruno Ecuele Manga in the heart of defence.
However, Didier Ndong is back from a ban of his own and is in line to replace Jordan Marie in midfield, but Anibal Chala and Frederic Sammaritano will miss out again after testing positive for coronavirus.
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Centonze, Bronn, Kouyate, Delaine; Pajot, Maiga; Gueye, Boulaya, Tchimbembe; Nguette
Dijon possible starting lineup:
Allagbe; Chafik, Manga, Coulibaly, Boey; Ndong, Lautoa; Ebimbe, Assale, Chouiar; Konate
We say: Metz 2-0 Dijon
Dijon will be desperate to get off to a bright start as a new era begins without Jobard at the helm, but Linares has been handed a taxing first task against a Metz side who are only looking upwards at the moment, so we cannot see any other result than a straightforward win for the hosts.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 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.Under 3.5:data
Ben Knapton
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 Metz win with a probability of 57.83%. A draw had a probability of 25.2% and a win for Dijon had a probability of 17.01%.
The most likely scoreline for a Metz win was 1-0 with a probability of 15.81%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.46%) and 2-1 (9.01%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.43%), while for a Dijon win it was 0-1 (7.25%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.4% likelihood.
