Brest vs Strasbourg Preview: Team News & Prediction
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It has been an unusual season for Stade Brest after their overperformance from last season means they are now playing in the UEFA Champions League but underperforming in Ligue 1 as they now take on an entertaining but frustrating Strasbourg side at the weekend.
Kick-off date/time: Saturday 30th November, 2024: UK – 4:00pm / US ET – 11:00am / US PT – 8:00am
How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / US – beIN Sports
How to watch online: UK – Ligue 1 pass / US – beIN Sports
Brest Preview: Up and down Brest
Under the management of former Sunderland player Eric Roy, Stade Brest stunned everyone by finishing third and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League with one of the smallest budgets in Ligue 1. They had collected ten points from four matches on the continent before being beaten 3-0 by Barcelona in Catalonia during the week.
Brest’s season in Europe is fairytale stuff but they have regressed domestically and begin this weekend’s round of fixtures sitting in the bottom-half of the table. Their most recent outing saw them suffer a 3-2 loss to Monaco at Stade Louis II last weekend and they have now won just four of their opening 12 matches in the league.
Strasbourg Preview: Needing consistency
Former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior was appointed to replace Patrick Vieira at Strasbourg with supporters still unhappy with the BlueCo ownership of their club. The Alsace-based club have been entertaining to watch this season with their 12 games consisting of 45 goals but they begin this weekend’s round of fixtures sitting in the bottom-half.
They went ahead against Nice at the Allianz Riviera last weekend before suffering a second-half turnaround and eventually a 2-1 loss to Franck Haise’s resurgent southerners. That defeat means Strasbourg have now lost three successive matches and they have just two victories in ten matches.
Brest Team News: No Coulibaly
Brest have been dealing with extra fixtures this season so Eric Roy may be tempted to rotate as we head into the extremely congested fixture schedule over the next month or so.
Key centre-back Soumaila Coulibaly is now unavailable due to a groin injury with former Norwich City midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou also sidelined for the hosts.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Le Cardinal, Amavi; Camara, Faivre, Magnetti; Del Castillo, Ajorque, Sima
Unavailable: Coulibaly (Injured), Lees-Melou (Injured)
Questionable:
Strasbourg Team News: Searching for something
Strasbourg are extremely inconsistent at the moment and need to find a winning formula to get something together but the hosts are dealing with a few injury issues for this one.
Chelsea loanee Caleb Wiley is sidelined alongside key attackers such as Moise Sahi and Emmanuel Emegha with second-choice goalkeeper Alaa Bellaarouch also out.
Predicted XI (4-4-2): Petrovic; Doue, Sarr, Sylla, Sow; Bakwa, Doukoure, Santos, Diego Moreira; Lemarechal, Nanasi
Unavailable: Bellaarouch (Injured), Wiley (Injured), Delaine (Injured), Sahi (Injured), Emegha (Injured)
Questionable:
Brest vs Strasbourg Prediction
Brest lost their defensive cohesion towards the end of last season and became a little chaotic. That chaos has continued into this season with up and down results underpinned by a remarkable start to their UEFA Champions League campaign. They face a Strasbourg side that, as mentioned, have been the entertainers in Ligue 1 so far this season so this one should well be a good game for the neutral to keep an eye on.
Brest vs Strasbourg Tip: Both teams to score
