A double stake in this “Burgundy Derby”, between DFCO and AJ Auxerre, Monday, November 22, 2021, for the 16th day of Ligue 2 (kick-off 8:45 p.m., to be experienced in full on France Bleu Bourgogne). A sporting issue on the one hand, for the Dijonnais stuck at the bottom of the ranking and who remain on a victory in the Coupe de France but also on two consecutive defeats without scoring in the league. And a cultural stake, of those who make the salt of a passion for football, with a regional domination to seek.
Regional supremacy … and the right to stay until April!
It is the first derby in an official match in more than five years. The last confrontation between the DFCO and the AJA dates back to April 23, 2016 – for a 2-0 defeat of the DFCO. Obviously, the match is eagerly awaited by Dijon supporters. “It’s a special match, two close teams in Burgundy, they were both in the first division, says one of them, crossed in training in the cold and fog this weekend. There is the supremacy of the club “. If the AJA has a much larger record than the DFCO, we must not forget that over the last ten years, Dijon has evolved for six seasons in Ligue 1. Not Auxerre. “Auxerre was ahead for a few years, now it’s a bit the opposite, it is Dijon which has taken a little more power in Burgundy”, summarizes Manu, another supporter of the “Reds”.
The DFCO players who benefited from the support of a few dozen supporters on Sunday morning, with the ultra group of Lingon’s Boys, come to encourage them. The stage is set, and it promises to be on fire. If we do not yet know the influx and the number of tickets sold by the DFCO, we already know that the visitor parking lot will be well stocked. No less than 600 Auxerre supporters will be present in the stands of Stade Gaston Gérard this Monday evening. They are also banned from downtown, by decision of the Prefecture, which fears overflows.
Exit the “red zone”
Behind the folklore and the atmosphere that reigns around this derby, we must not forget the purely sporting aspect. After the first nine games of this 16th day of Ligue 2, the DFCO fell two places and ranks 18th – in a barrage position. In case of victory, the “Reds” could move up to 12th place, within gun range of the top 10. On the Auxerrois side, a place has been lost, and visitors will want to get their dolphin chair back.
“What interests me above all is what we are going to do in the field. All these external elements, that we take them into consideration but that it is not something that inhibits us, warns the DFCO coach, and ex-Auxerre scorer, Patrice Garande. On the contrary, something that gives us strength, confidence, and then a lot of pleasure to play this kind of match.