Brestvs.Nantes

Eric Roy's side will be looking to build on their midweek Champions League win, while Antoine Kombouare's team are unbeaten in their last two matches and will be hoping to make it three this weekend.

Match preview

Brest currently have 16 points from their 14 matches in Ligue 1 and sit 11th, three points above Saint-Etienne, who occupy the league's relegation playoff spot.

Last time out, Les Pirates continued their excellent Champions League form and beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 thanks to a first-half strike from Julien Le Cardinal.

Roy's side are fifth in the Champions League table and have lost just one match in this season's iteration of UEFA's premier competition, winning four and drawing the other in what has been a remarkable debut campaign in European competition as a whole.

However, it is fair to say that Brest have not enjoyed the same success domestically given both their league position and the fact that they have won just one of their last five games in Ligue 1, conceding 11 goals in the process.

In their most recent league fixture, Brest were beaten 3-1 on the road by fourth-placed Lille, a match in which Ludovic Ajorque gave the away side some hope before Jonathan David secured all three points for Les Dogues with his second of the game from the penalty spot.

This weekend, Les Pirates will face fellow Ligue 1 strugglers rather than a side chasing European qualification, and manager Roy will hope that his team can channel their Champions League form into a performance that keeps them as far away from the relegation playoff spot as possible.

Meanwhile, Nantes are 13th in Ligue 1 with 14 points from their 14 matches so far, just one point above 16th-placed Saint-Etienne.

Kombouare's side are at serious risk of relegation this season and have won just one of their last 11 league matches, a stretch that goes all the way back to late August and includes six losses and four draws.

That being said, Les Canaris did win 1-0 last time out against Rennes and drew on the road to champions Paris Saint-Germain in the previous game on November 30.

Those two results represent the first time since September that Nantes have avoided defeat in consecutive matches, though they did benefit from a red card for Rennes and still required an 89th-minute winner from Moses Simon to take all three points.

On Sunday, Les Canaris face a team that have experienced drastically different fortunes on the domestic and European stages, and boss Kombouare will hope that his side can continue to avoid defeat in order to alleviate some of the pressure on his job and avoid slipping further down the table.

Brest Ligue 1 form:

W

L

L

L

W

L

Brest form (all competitions):

L

L

L

W

L

W

Nantes Ligue 1 form:

L

L

L

L

D

W

Team News

Brest are likely to be without midweek goalscorer Julien Le Cardinal until January after he picked up a hamstring injury against PSV, and Roy could line up with Kenny Lala, Brendan Chardonnet, Abdoulaye Ndiaye and Massadio Haidara in defence.

Elsewhere, Pierre Lees-Melou and Bradley Locko are not expected back until 2025, though Jonas Martin should be back in action later this month and Karamoko Dembele is a doubt for Sunday's match but could be declared fit in time to play some part.

As for Nantes, they are still missing forward Tino Kadewere, who has not featured since scoring in a 2-1 loss against Marseille in early November.

In his stead, boss Kombouare can be expected to start Matthis Abline and Moses Simon up front, supported by a midfield trio of Pedro Chirivella, Douglas Augusto and Johann Lepenant.

Brest possible starting lineup:

Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Ndiaye, Haidara; Camara, Magnetti; Balde, Doumbia, Lage; Sima

Nantes possible starting lineup:

Carlgren; Aiman, Castelletto, Pallois, Zeze, Cozza; Chirivella, Augusto, Lepenant; Abline, Simon

We say: Brest 2-0 Nantes

Both sides will be desperate to stay ahead of Saint-Etienne and the relegation zone, and the chance to take points from a rival in a similar league position will be seen by both managers as an important opportunity.

Written by

Anthony Nolan

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