Dijon travel to Clermont for the opening round of the Ligue 2 season with a pre-season record that could scarcely be sharper. The visitors recorded 4 wins and 1 draw across their last 5 friendlies, scoring 15 and conceding 5, and they found the net in all 5 outings. That run included a 3-0 win at Sochaux, a 4-1 home victory over Progres Niederkorn, and a 5-2 success against UNFP. Clermont's preparation has been considerably more subdued: 1 win, 2 draws and 1 defeat from their last 4 friendlies, managing 5 goals and 3 conceded. They lost 1-0 at home to Montpellier in their most recent outing and drew 1-1 with Quevilly before that. The one high-scoring result in that sequence was a 4-1 home win over Andrézieux, but the overall picture is patchy at best. Formatic's weighted form score captures the gulf: 9.56 out of 10 for Dijon, 3.33 out of 10 for Clermont, a gap of 6.23 points in the visitors' favour.

Clermont's attacking output has been inconsistent, with goals in only 2 of their last 4 matches, and they kept just 1 clean sheet across that span. The 0-0 draw at home to Bourges Foot 18 underlined a lack of cutting edge in certain fixtures, and the defeat to Montpellier extended that concern into their final warm-up game. Dijon, by contrast, have been relentless in front of goal, scoring in all 5 of their recent friendlies and posting a goals-per-game rate that suggests they have carried rhythm and confidence through the summer. They conceded in 4 of those 5 matches, keeping one clean sheet in the 3-0 win at Sochaux, so there is some evidence of defensive solidity to accompany the attacking threat. The 2-1 win at Bourg-en-bresse 01 and the 5-2 home win over UNFP both demonstrated an ability to outscore opponents even when the back line was breached.

The head to head record over the last 9 meetings favours Dijon heavily: 6 wins to Clermont's 1, with 2 draws. The average yield has been 2.78 goals per meeting, with both teams scoring in 4 of 9 and over 2.5 goals landing in 4 of 9. The itemised fixtures show Dijon's dominance in concrete terms: a 3-2 win at Clermont in April 2016, a 4-1 home victory in November 2015, a 5-2 away win in March 2015, a 1-0 home success in October 2014, and a 1-0 away win in May 2014. Clermont have managed to trouble the scoreboard in some of those encounters, posting 2 goals in two separate fixtures, but the outcomes have consistently tilted in Dijon's direction. That pattern, stretching back over a decade, adds historical weight to the current form gap.

Formatic's model has not yet published its cards for this fixture, with scoring scheduled closer to kick-off, but the available data points toward a clear separation between these two sides. Dijon arrive with 15 goals across 5 friendlies and a form score that sits in the excellent band, while Clermont managed 5 goals from 4 outings and carry a poor rating into competitive action. The head to head sample reinforces Dijon's edge, and the recent results suggest the visitors possess both the attacking threat and the momentum to continue that trend. Whether Clermont can leverage home advantage to disrupt a side that has won 6 of the last 9 meetings will depend on finding the cutting edge that has been absent through much of pre-season.