Dijon - Paris: The Preview
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On Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain travel to Dijon for Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 18. Find out everything you need to know about this upcoming league fixture!
Apart from the last-minute draw conceded in Nantes in December on matchday 15, our Les Rouge et Bleu's league campaign has been exemplary in its consistency. Unbeaten after 17 games, Paris will be looking to continue this streak away to Dijon. Stefan Madsen's men are leading the race, but are temporarily tied with Nantes, as The H played their Matchday 19 fixture against Chartres early due to the Colisée stadium being unavailable on the week originally scheduled in the calendar.
On their return to the elite after just one season away, Dijon are fighting for survival in the Liqui Moly StarLigue. At this stage of the competition, the Burgundians are well on track, as they sit 14th just above the relegation zone. However, their position is precarious, as Mehdi Ighirri's men are levleon points with Chartres, who occupy the play-off spot.
While their record is nothing extraordinary, Dijon have repeatedly played the role of the underdog. The Côte-d'Or side has scored more than 30 goals against several of the league's leading teams, such as Nantes (34-48) and Limoges (32-31). They have also come close to achieving results against European contenders such as Chambéry (30-28) and Toulouse (29-31). Unfortunately, Dijon regularly pay for their lack of experience, sometimes losing control of matches in the final minutes.
Since winning the African Championship with Egypt last month, Yahia Omar seems to have raised his game even further. Be it in the league against Aix (eight goals, nine assists) or in the Champions League against Zagreb (seven goals) and Szeged (six goals), our left-back continues to dominate opposing defences. Demonstrating splendid consistency in recent months, he is now just two goals away from the symbolic milestone of 400 goals scored in all competitions with Paris Saint-Germain since his arrival in the summer of 2024.
This match between Dijon and Paris will be an opportunity to watch a fascinating duel between two playmakers: Ayhan Alexandre and Luc Steins, who rank second and third on the assist chart this season with 135 assists each. While the latter needs no introduction, Ayhan Alexandre is still relatively unknown in the league. He has made his mark in the Proligue in recent seasons, finishing top of the assists standings in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 campaigns when he played for Frontignan. Last season, he delivered 286 assists with Dijon, enough to rank second in the Proligue standings in this category.
Although he is not new to the Liqui Moly StarLigue this season, having come up at Nîmes without seeing much playing time during his three years in the Gard region, it is in Burgundy that he is finally flourishing at the highest level. The player, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Thursday, is now the pillar of his squad, dictating the play to help his teammates stay in the game. It was against Paris a few months ago that he had one of his best games of the season, recording 11 assists in the defeat at Coubertin (35-27). Proof of his consistency: Ayhan Alexandre has delivered ten or more assists in seven of his 17 league games. This promises a spectacular duel with Luc Steins on Sunday!
Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 18 threw off on Thursday with Toulouse beating Sélestat 38-32. On Friday, Aix will be looking to bounce back against Cesson-Rennes after their defeat at Coubertin last week. At the same time, Istres will play host to Chartres in a clash between the two teams battling to beat the drop. The StarMatch of the week will see Chambéry take on Montpellier, while Dunkerque will travel to Tremblay with the aim of continuing their strong form since Yohan Delattre took over.
On Saturday, Limoges will try to consolidate their place in the top four when Saint-Raphaël come calling. The matchday will end on Sunday with the match between Nantes and Nîmes.
