Sunderland will continue their tour of France against Dijon FCO and will look to remain unbeaten after winning three out of three games so far. David Moyes’ side beat FC Stade Nyonnais 2-0 on Monday and will hope to maintain their momentum against Dijon tomorrow evening.
But what do we know about Dijon FCO? The French based side play their football in the top tier of French football, after earning promotion last season, finishing second in Ligue 2.
The first team is coached by former player, Olivier Dall'Oglio, known for his time at Rennes, where he played as a defender in the mid 90’s. The French side play in Red and play their football at the Stade Gaston Gérard, which has a capacity of 15,995.
The Club’s recent history
Since the merging of both Cercle Sportif Laïque Dijonnais and Dijon FC in 1998 to create a stronger club, Dijon FCO have tinkered around the top flight and were unfortunately relegated from Ligue 1 in the 2011/2012 season.
After three seasons in the French second tier, Dijon earned promotion last campaign, finishing second, just four points behind AS Nancy Lorraine. Their top scorer last season was Loïs Diony, who scored 11 goals. Frédéric Sammaritano also played a big part in their return to the top flight, creating ten goals during his first season with the club.
Dijon’s ranks also include Romain Amalfitano, who was once on the books of the Black Cats’ local rivals Newcastle United, and is brother to Morgan Amalfitano, who previously represented West Ham United and had been rumoured to join Sunderland.
Dijon have played two games in pre-season so far, winning the last 3-0 against Troyes, and losing their first 2-0 against Sochaux.