Our football match prediction:
St Etienne
Match Time & Date:
23/01/2019
17:30 GMT
Prediction: 2-1
Dijon
After suffering a loss to Olympique Lyon in the local derby at the weekend, Saint-Etienne will be looking to return to winning ways when they host Dijon at their Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Thursday evening. Les Verts are eyeing a place in the Champions League, but they have big ambitions for the 2018/2019 Coupe de France campaign as well. It is well known that Saint-Etienne are a real force to be reckoned with at home and seeing that they outclassed Dijon 3-0 in their last home game in the national championship, we believe that there is a big value in betting on the hosts. The Mustards, on the other hand, are not regarded as good travelers and seeing that they failed to score in each of their previous three away games in the national championship, we believe that home win should be considered.
Highlighted Player (Yann M Vila):
Formerly a blistering talent and one of the most promising youngsters in French football, Yann M’Villa ended up being a class book example of a player who made all the wrong choices. Having started his career at the age of six with ES Sains-Saint-Fussein, M’Villa was quick to turn heads of the big boys. He was given a chance to move through youth ranks at Rennes where he was given a professional debut in 2009 but it was not long after that his problematic lifestyle came back to haunt him. Yann M’Villa got suspended from all national teams after an unauthorized night out while on U21 duty with France, a ban which left mark on his club career as well. Despite interest from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham, M’Villa was sold to Rubin kazan in January 2013 which was the time his nomadic experience as a footballer began. Spells as Inter Milan and Sunderland failed to help him get back to prominence and meet the early expectations, however. Currently a St Etienne player, M’Villa is hoping to re-establish himself back in his homeland.
Highlighted Team (Dijon):
Founded in 1998, Dijon are a result of a merger between two local clubs. The Mustards played their first ever match in the Ligue 1 on August 7, 2011, with the team suffering a heavy 5-1 loss on their debut in the French top flight. After suffering relegation to Ligue 2 at the end of the 2011/2012 season, the club returned to the French elite division in 2016. The Mustards finished the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 campaign in 16th place in the standings, only one point clear of the relegation zone. Dijon are well known for their red jerseys, while they wear white when playing on the road. The Mustards welcome their rivals at Stade Gaston Gerard, the venue which was both built and opened in 1934. In the 1998/1999 season the club recorded a historical 12-1 Coupe de France win over Mahault Baie and that is considered the club’s biggest ever win in a competitive match. Stephane Mangione, who made 181 appearances for the club, is regarded as one of the team’s famous players.
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