OUR man in France is Julien Laurens and tonight he's looking at Dijon v Lyon.
Julien is a London-based sports correspondent for Le Parisien and a veritable French football expert. He writes in French and English for a number of esteemed publications and is a regular on BT Sport as well as contributing to Unibet.
Dijon v Lyon (8pm)
Lyon travel to Dijon tonight after being impressive in the last few games. They thrashed Amiens last weekend (3-0), a week after the demolition of Metz (5-0) and they have great momentum going into this match. They are still third in the table, level with Marseille, but just four points behind Monaco in second. They are back in the race and have the belief that they can finish the season on a high to overtake Monaco.
Manager Bruno Genesio has all his players available as well for this game apart from striker Mariano Diaz who is injured. It is a huge blow for Lyon not to have him. Captain and playmaker Nabil Fekir is now totally fully fit and is expected to start on Friday. Lyon are now playing in a 4-3-1-2 formation, which is perfect for Fekir, who will fit well in the number 10 role behind the two strikers. It also gives Lyon more balance in midfield. Genesio will have to pick the two players up front from Memphis Depay, Bertrand Traoré and Maxwell Cornet.
Depay is in great form at the moment, so he should start. Lyon have now won their last five league games in a row. They have also been excellent away from home with the second-best record in the league this season behind Paris SG. They know Dijon have been great at home but they are confident they can continue their winning streak on Friday. Dijon have been superb at home this season, with nine wins, three draws and only four losses so far.
They are 12th in the table at the moment and are safe. It is a great achievement for them to be staying up and it’s mostly thanks to their home form. However, against the big boys they have struggled at home. Monaco, PSG and Marseille all won there, as well as St Etienne. They expect a tough game but they will play with free minds as they are safe already. However, I don’t think it will be enough. Lyon are on a roll and they will be too strong for Dijon.
Julien's Tips
- Dijon 1, Marseille 2 (7-1, Unibet)
- Depay to score first (9-2, Unibet)
- Lyon win and btts (7-4, Unibet)
