A place in Ligue 1 is up for grabs over the next four days, with either Lens or Dijon taking that. For the other, it will be a season in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. This is the relegation playoffs, a format that may be a little unusual for some people, but something that has been introduced into French football.

Dijon finished third from bottom in Ligue 1, and Lens won the Ligue 2 playoffs, leaving these two to battle it out for the place in Ligue 1. Can Dijon defend their position, or will we see a new team rise to the top tier, with Lens bagging promotion alongside Metz and Brest who have already made it.

Lens in Good Form

While Lens are the lower division team here, there is no doubting they are in good form right now. They finished 5th in the league, 11 points away from the automatic promotion positions so they were never really in contention for those. However, they come here on the back of three wins to round off their season, followed by two wins to get to this stage of the playoffs. After beating Paris FC in the qualifying round, they then beat Troyes to win the Ligue 2 section of the playoffs, and go forward as the team to take on the Ligue 1 club who finished third from bottom.

There is no doubt that Lens are in good form, and confidence should be sky high within the dressing room. Five wins in a row has brought them to this game and they know that just two legs separate them from promotion up to Ligue 1, and a return to the big time.

Dijon Avoid Relegation on Final Day but its Not Over Yet

Dijon won on the final day of the Ligue 1 season to avoid relegation on that day, but they must understand that their job is not done. All they did by surviving that day was to keep themselves alive for another week, and now they have one final task ahead of them, to survive for good. This two legged game will determine whether or not they are relegated or whether they have another season in Ligue 1 ahead of them.

While they come here on the back of three defeats from their last five games, they did win on the final day of the season to put themselves in this position. They have experience of winning games when needed to survive, and that is something that Lens don’t have. Although Lens have been wining to get here, they have been doing so to progress, not to survive.

Playing at Home First or Second in Playoff Games?

Lens have to play their home game first here, and that has both advantages and disadvantages but generally speaking I think it is better to play away from home first and then at home second.

For example, if Dijon play this game they are not in a position where they need to win, as going home in the second leg means they can overturn a deficit with a good performance. Compare that to Lens, who are playing away against a team in a higher division than them in the second leg. A loss at home for Lens would put them on the back foot and really get the players down, qualifying from that position wouldn’t be impossible, but it would certainly be an uphill task for them.

The reverse of that, is that Lens are fancied to win this first game, and even though they are going away from home, if they manage to win the first leg then they have the momentum in the tie. This is important, and can play a real part in who wins this two legged game and claims the Ligue 1 place that is up for grabs.

Lens vs Dijon Betting Tips

The Ligue 2 side Lens are at home for the first leg here, and the pressure is on them to get a result and take it away for the second leg on Sunday. Going away to the Ligue 1 side, you feel that if they are to gain promotion here then they are going to have to get a win.

The good news for them is that they are in great form right now, and come here on the back of five straight victories, three to end the season and then two in the Ligue 2 playoffs to get to this stage. Those have all been important games, showing that they can handle the pressure and play well, in them, although this is obviously a very different type of game with a huge prize up for grabs.

Dijon survived on the final day of the season to avoid relegation, but all they did then was put themselves in this playoff, more is needed from them. They cannot come here and think the job is already done, because Lens are a very talented team and one that is capable of causing an upset.

Lens are the favourites to win the first game and I think that is right, and they are my pick for the game. They have two games ahead of them to gain promotion, and more than likely they will need to get a win here. Confidence in the camp is high, they have recently beaten some good teams in the context of this game and I am backing them to bag another with this one.

The first game takes place on Thursday night, with the return leg in Dijon taking place on Sunday. In the first game, I am taking Lens to come out on top.

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