Champions League semi-finalists Lyon host Dijon at the Groupama Stadium in their opening fixture of the new 2020/21 Ligue 1 campaign.
Lyon come into this game on the back of their most successful European football campaign, having gone all the way to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they lost to eventual champions Bayern Munich. Rudi Garcia’s men had knocked Juventus and Manchester City en route to that semi-final which is quite a feat for a team that finished seventh in the abruptly shortened Ligue 1 campaign last season.
That seventh-place finish might, however, come back to bite them for this campaign. With no European football this term, they face an uphill task to keep their star players, many of whom are being courted by top clubs.
Until any moves happen, however, Garcia still has them at his disposal and he will look to make the most of the opportunity to kick off the season with aplomb.
Having just avoided relegation last season, Dijon kicked off this season with a disappointing 1-0 home loss to Angers. It’s not just the loss that was worrying for them but the manner in which they lost. They looked timid in attack and vulnerable at the back registering only one shot on target against the visitors’ four shots.
For a team that won only 1 or their final 7 Ligue 1 games before the season was called off, the omens do not bode well for them and for coach Stéphane Jobard as they look to get themselves out of this rut.
Lyon’s deep run in the just-concluded Champions League means they have basically kept themselves fit by competing at the highest levels. That should give them a bounce coming into this fixture. The one thing that stood out for them in their campaign was their defensive fortitude. They beat a Cristiano-led Juventus 1-0 in this same venue and only allowed 1 goal against a star-studded Man City side as they ran out 3-1 winners in the quarter-finals. Dijon looked horrible in the final third on opening day and against this Lyon defence, the chances will be far and fewer. Lyon have traditionally done well at home on opening day fixtures. They are yet to concede a goal at home on this fixture since 2012/13 season while scoring 20 unanswered goals in that run. We fancy them to keep this record going and we are therefore going for Lyon Win to Nil @ 1.95 with Bet9ja as our first betting tip for the game.
This terrific Lyon defence has been the catalyst for their attack. Forwards Depay and Moussa Dembélé have been firing on all cylinders. Dembele scored 13 Ligue 1 goals last season. His two goals against City put him on the map and he is one of the players that is a subject of transfer speculation. If Lyon are resigned to losing him, they would certainly want to get the best returns. Dembélé scoring will certainly increase his marketing value, both for himself and for Lyon. Bet9ja betting app have Dembélé to Score Anytime priced @ 1.75 and we are snapping it up for our final prediction for this match.
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