Preview: Brest vs. Toulouse - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts enter the weekend just one point and one place above the drop zone.

Match preview

Recent form and results at home do not bode well for Brest coming into this fixture.

Eric Roy's side have won just twice in the league in 2023, and only the bottom two, Ajaccio and Angers, have a worse home record than them.

Since promotion to the top tier in 2019, Brest have not lost three games in a row at home, but after defeats to Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Francis-Le Ble, that is a possibility here.

Toulouse are also probably one of the last teams they would want to face given their current circumstances too.

Brest have won only two of their 25 Ligue 1 meetings with Toulouse, with their solitary success at home coming all the way back in 1988.

Having welcomed back Romain Del Castillo and Franck Honorat recently, Brest should have a stronger footing going forward, but they are certainly well in the mix to go down.

With relegation virtually off the table for Toulouse now, the side have seemingly slipped into a complacent mindset.

Philippe Montanier and his players will more than likely have eyes on their upcoming Coupe de France semi-final against second-tier Annecy which comes up just four days after this clash.

Even before their quarter-final success over Rodez though, Toulouse were faltering, with four losses from their last five league games, with their only result in that time coming against an Angers side completely cut adrift at the bottom of the table.

Toulouse's away form has remained good though which is a good omen for this encounter, as three wins from their last five on the road is a remarkable improvement on their run of one win in 31 Ligue 1 away games which preceded it.

Young striker Thijs Dallinga has 11 goals in 16 games in 2023 after a slow start to his Toulouse career and they will need him on form as goals are starting to dry up in the league, as the side have failed to score in three of their last four Ligue 1 games.

Brest Ligue 1 form:

L

L

L

W

L

D

Toulouse Ligue 1 form:

W

L

L

L

W

L

Toulouse form (all competitions):

L

L

W

L

W

L

Team News

Brest's Jeremy Le Douaron and Mathias Pereira Lage are expected to miss out but returns are not far away for the duo.

Loic Remy is yet to make his debut for the club since joining in January, while other winter recruits Alberth Elis, Bradley Locko and youngster Felix Lemarechal have struggled to make much of an impact.

With the Annecy game just around the corner, Montanier could rotate his Toulouse side slightly for this one.

They are in a healthy position to do so with no new injury concerns to worry about over the international break.

Rhys Healey remains the only absentee as he recovers from an ACL rupture suffered back in August.

Brest possible starting lineup:

Bizot; Fadiga, Dari, Brassier, Duverne; Lees-Melou, Belkebla, Magnetti; Honorat, Mounie, Del Castillo

Toulouse possible starting lineup:

Dupe; Kamanzi, Costa, Nicolaisen, Diarra; Spierings, Van den Boomen, Tsingaras; Aboukhlal, Dallinga, Chaibi

We say: Brest 1-1 Toulouse

Toulouse have been stronger on the road than at home recently, but the upcoming cup semi could prove to be a distraction.

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