MX23RW : Friday, June 4 21:20:47| >> :600:948171:948171:
Dec 20, 2020 at 2pm UK at Stade Gaston Gérard
DijonDijon
0-1
MonacoMonaco

Chouiar (5'), N'Dong (37')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Volland (15')
Tchouameni (26')

Preview: Dijon vs. Monaco - prediction, team news, lineups

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

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's Jhonder Cadiz celebrates scoring their second goal with team mates on November 1, 2019© Reuters

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.

Monaco manager Niko Kovac pictured in September 2020© Reuters

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

Monaco's Axel Disasi pictured in August 2020© Reuters

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


SM words green background

We say: Dijon 0-2 Monaco

Monaco's crushing defeat to Lens would have been a different story without Disasi's early sending-off, but Kovac's men will view this encounter as the perfect chance to arrest their worrying recent slump and poor away record. Dijon have been looking more resilient in recent weeks, but we cannot see Les Hiboux getting something from this one and are backing Les Monegasques to return to winning ways on Sunday.


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


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Monaco's Benoit Badiashile pictured on August 23, 2020
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Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CLille382411364234183
2Paris Saint-GermainPSG38264886285882
3MonacoMonaco38246876423478
4Lyon382210681433876
5Marseille381612105447760
6Rennes3816101252401258
7Lens381512115554157
8Montpellier HSCMontpellier381412126062-254
9Nice38157165053-352
10Metz381211154448-447
11Saint-EtienneSt Etienne381210164254-1246
12Bordeaux38136194256-1445
13Angers38128184058-1844
14Reims38915144250-842
15StrasbourgStrasbourg38119184958-942
16Lorient38119185068-1842
17Brest38118195066-1641
18NantesNantes38913164755-840
RNimes3898214071-3135
RDijon3849252573-4821

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