Lille midfielder Rony Lopes. (Photo : Getty Images)
Perennial contender Lille OSC (0-1-0, 0 points) will try to bounce back from their 2016-2017 Ligue 1 season opening day loss to a promoted side as they face another newly-elevated team Dijon FCO (0-1-0, 0 points) at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Saturday, August 20.
Lille, the French top flight's 5th place finisher last term and Europa League qualifier, was humbled by last season's Ligue 2 third-placed team FC Metz, 2-3, in their season-opening match at the Stade Saint-Symphorien last Saturday, as per ESPN.
Rony Lopes led head coach Frédéric Antonetti's squad with a brace, but the Portuguese attacking midfielder's performance was cancelled by Metz's Turkish striker Mevlut Erdinc's own double with midfielder Yann Jouffre sinking the winning goal late in the match.
Les Dogues opened the scoring with Lopes' first goal of the night at the 35th minute. The Danes kept the one-point lead at the break, but Erdinc was able to level the count 11 minutes after the restart.
Lopes against scored at the 70th to take back the lead for the visitors, but Erdinc answered back with game's second equalizer at the 76th.
It was close from then on, but Jouffre's penalty kick with two minutes before full time sealed the game for the newcomers.
Meanwhile, fellow promoted side Dijon was nipped by last season's 14th-placed squad FC Nantes, 0-1, at their own home field of Stade Gaston Gérard also last Saturday, the league's official website reported.
Nantes' Danish midfielder Nicolaj Thomsen scored the lone goal in the match at the 48th minute to welcome the former Ligue 2 giants to the French top flight competitions.
Head coach Olivier Dall'Oglio's squad placed second in the Ligue 2 last term to earn their promotion this season. Dall'Oglio had been coaching the team since 2012.
Lille is expected to redeem themselves from the embarrassing first day loss and with Dijon's morale currently low from their own setback in the opener last week, it looks like the game will be a walk in the park for Antonetti and his boys.
The predicted result is a 2-0 victory for Lille.
Lille starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Enyeama; Corchia, Civelli, Soumaoro, Palmieri; Amalfitano, Amadou, Obbadi; Lopes, Eder, Bautheac
Dijon starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Reynet; Chafik, Varrault, Abdelhamid, Bernard; Amalfitano, Balmont, Marie, Sammaritano; Bahamboula, Tavares
