In the first match of the Ligue 1 round 4, Dijon, who played in a dramatic draw with Rennes, will play Montpellier, who were unlucky not to beat the newly promoted Strasbourg. In the other game Toulouse, who were turned over by an excellent PSG performance, will host Rennes.
Dijon vs. Montpellier
3-Way: 1: Dijon +173; X: +245 Draw; 2: Montpellier +195
Spread 0: Dijon -112; Montpellier +106
Total +2.5: Over +120; Under -125
Dijon
Dijon gained their first point of the season in Ligue 1 after a drama-filled 2:2 draw away at Rennes. It was Dijon’s opponents Rennes who struck first, as a simple close-range finish from Ndombe Mubele found its way past the keeper Baptiste Reynet, who almost managed to keep the ball out but could only parry it onto the post and in. Dijon conceded more chances before half time, but it took only one minute into half time for Rennes to score another with a lucky mishit cross. By this point, it looked like Rennes may have been home and dry already, but just 5 minutes later Chang-H00n Kwon headed home after the ball popped up towards him following a save from a long-range shot. Unbelievably in the 92nd minute of the game, Naim Sliti was fouled in the box and a penalty was given, leaving substitute Julio Tavarez to smash the penalty into the top right corner.
Dijon can look back at their performance with pride as they showed a lot of character in the second half. However, the final result signified Dijon’s first point of the Ligue 1 campaign, and although it looks poor on the surface, their previous two opponents were Marseille and Monaco, so it was always going to be difficult to obtain points early in their season. Hopefully, for Dijon, they can now push on with more points with some easier fixtures coming up.
Olivier Dall’Oglio will have a full squad selection.
Montpellier
A 1:1 draw to the newly promoted Strasbourg was a down-heartening result for a Montpellier side that dominated throughout the game. Home debutant Giovanni Sio should have scored early in the first half, as a free kick dropped to his knee which he controlled well, but his shot was agonizingly sliced wide from two yards out. Unfortunately for Montpellier and undeservingly for Strasbourg, it was the Ligue 2 champions who drew first blood with a smart finish in the box. It took until the 72nd minute for a reply, coming from Daniel Congré as he latched on to Pedro Mendes’s headed goal attempt from a cross to poke it into the roof of the net. Late in the game, Montpellier thought they had won briefly with a Giovanni Sio goal, which was wrongly ruled offside by the assistant referee adding to a bad debut for Sio and an unlucky result for his team.
The result was very unfortunate, especially when you consider that they offered far more attacking play than their opponents, with ten shots to Strasbourg’s two. One concern will be now having failed to score more than one goal in their last eight Ligue 1 games, and that new signing Giovanni Sio is yet to hit the ground running, although with a bit more luck it looks like he could still prove to be a decent signing.
Manager Michel Der Zakarian will have a full squad selection for Saturday’s game.
Dijon vs. Montpellier – MATCH PREDICTION
Despite having just five points between the two sides, both have had decent starts as they have performed as expected. I would think that Montpellier will finish the Ligue 1 season above Dijon, as they don’t concede often and just need time for Giovanni Sio to start adding some needed goals.
To summarize, I would expect a tight game with Montpellier’s tough defense and Dijon’s tenacity, with few goals.
MY PICK: Under 2.5 goals (-125)
Toulouse vs. Rennes
3-Way: 1: Toulouse +140; X: +235 Draw; 2: Rennes +256
Spread -0.5: Toulouse +131; Rennes -141
Total +2.5: Over +135; Under -143
Toulouse
Toulouse was torn apart by an outstanding flurry of attacks by opponents PSG, as they came away from the Parc des Princes as clear losers with a 6:2 scoreline in round 3 of the new Ligue 1 campaign.
Despite conceding two goals in the first half, Toulouse was still well in the game after they scored an early goal through a decisive Max Gradel finish following some great work down the wing and a cross from Kelvin Adou. Apart from their first and second goal, a headed cross that deflected off PSG defender Thiago Silva, Toulouse rarely threatened and were all but bystanders for an excellent individual performance in Neymar and a PSG side on the song, and in spite of a red card for Marco Verratti in the 69th minute.
Although they suffered a heavy loss and just one win, Les Pitchouns can look towards their first three fixtures with arguably their two most difficult fixtures in Ligue 1, away at Monaco and away at PSG, for the reason. It will take a couple more matches to see the qualities of this side.
Manager Pascal Dupraz will have a full squad selection for Saturday’s game.
Rennes
Rennes came away from Roazhon park disappointed as they drew 2:2 against a Dijon side they really should have beaten in the previous round of Ligue 1. Rennes took the initiative after just 14 minutes, as new signing Ismaila Sarr was played in behind the Dijon defense and then assisted Ndombe Mubele for a simple finish. The home team went on to produce a host of chances to extend their lead in the first half, including hitting the post but couldn’t make it count until just after half time with a lucky second, a mishit cross that looped over the helpless Dijon’s keeper’s hands.
Despite the convincing lead and being seemingly on the front foot, Rennes concentration faltered as they let their opponents back into the game, with 51st and 92nd-minute goals from Dijon, the latter coming from a penalty after a poorly-executed challenge from defender Mexer.
The disappointing result means zero wins from their first three Ligue 1 games and three home league games without a win. Furthermore, they picked up just one point in each game against relegation candidates, Troyes and Dijon, and with the next four fixtures looking tricky Rennes may find themselves hovering around the bottom of the table for a while yet.
Manager Christian Gourcuff will be with a full squad roster for the game on Saturday.
Toulouse vs. Rennes – MATCH PREDICTION
With recent fixtures, it’s difficult to tell how good this Toulouse side is, but with each of their losses they put in respectable performances, whereas Rennes has not convinced although luck has never been on their side thus far.
With the home advantage, I would go for Toulouse to edge the game, while neither team is short of goals so both teams will likely score.
MY PICK: Toulouse to WIN (+140)
Additional Pick: Both teams to score YES (+104)
