After another excellent week in Europe, Brest return to domestic matters by visiting a woefully out-of-form Montpellier HSC side in Ligue 1 on Sunday evening.
A change in management has done little to turn the tide for the hosts, who are in danger of losing their top-flight status after 17 years in Ligue 1.
Match preview
© Imago
Michel Der Zakarian was sacked live on TV following Montpellier's embarrassing 5-0 home defeat to Marseille last month, with fan favourite Jean-Louis Gasset hired for the third time to replace him.
Gasset's appointment has done nothing to change Montpellier's fortunes though, as they remain rooted to the foot of the Ligue 1 table, having lost both games under the new manager without scoring.
In his first game in charge, Montpellier found themselves 3-0 down at home to Toulouse inside 27 minutes, before they faced the only side to have made as bad a start as them in the league last week.
That team was Le Havre, and they also got the better of Gasset's men, coming out 1-0 winners, moving five points clear of Montpellier despite remaining second-from-bottom.
Sitting six points from safety with less than one-third of the season played is certainly not insurmountable by any means, but the fact there has been almost no response to the change in management suggests Montpellier are in big trouble.
The Le Havre defeat was their fifth in a row, conceding 15 in the process and contributing to their goals against column now reading 30 - the worst record any team has put up after 10 Ligue 1 games since 1978.
This fixture will be a difficult one as they seek to arrest their worst run of form since the 2003-04 season, and there is no doubt one eye will be on the game that comes after the international break, when Montpellier will face Saint-Etienne.
As recently as the 2022-23 season, Montpellier beat Brest 10-0 across their two league fixtures, but fortunes could not be more different for the two now.
© Imago
On their way to a third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, Brest took revenge by completing the league double themselves, and even though their domestic form has been rather volatile so far, they are still having a dream season.
Brest are down in 11th, two points from the top six and only three points above the relegation zone after their five-game unbeaten run was ended by Nice last week, but on the continent they continue to go from strength to strength.
Eric Roy's men quickly responded to that setback by winning 2-1 away to Sparta Prague on Wednesday, moving them into fourth in the Champions League standings in what is their first ever season in Europe.
After a 4-0 win at Red Bull Salzburg on matchday two, and a victory in Reims at the end of last month, the midweek success means that Brest have now won three in a row away from home.
Ideally, the visitors will look to make it four on the spin here, especially when they take a look at the calendar and see that the two games they have after the international break are intimidating trips to Monaco and Barcelona.
Team News
© Imago
No team in Ligue 1 has a longer absentee list than Montpellier, and some of that is self-inflicted, as Teji Savanier and Stefan Dzodic are suspended after being sent off across their last two games.
La Paillade's defence has been absolutely decimated with injury though, with Christopher Jullien, Lucas Mincarelli, Becir Omeragic, Kiki Kouyate and Theo Sainte-Luce all likely to miss out.
Othmane Maamma is back on the treatment table again after getting just 30 minutes against Toulouse, joining Yanis Issoufou, Joris Chotard and Khalil Fayed on the sidelines.
Having two in every position is working wonders for Brest, and is giving manager Roy a selection headache, as some of those who performed wonders in midweek could be rested with many capable alternatives waiting in the wings.
As many as six or seven players could come into the side from the one that won in Prague, and one could be Luck Zogbe, but the aftermath of a concussion means he remains doubtful, while Abdallah Sima and Bradley Locko will miss out.
Mathias Pereira Lage will be hoping to start against one of his favoured opponents, with the Brest winger having scored on his last two visits to this venue, but he will face competition from Mama Balde and Ibrahim Salah.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Sacko, Maksimovic, Sagnan, Sylla; Nzingoula, Ferri, Toure; Nordin, Adams, Al-Tamari
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Le Cardinal, Haidara; Fernandes, Magnetti, Martin; Del Castillo, Mama Balde, Pereira Lage
We say: Montpellier HSC 0-1 Brest
Despite being in the bottom half, Brest's start to the Ligue 1 season has been more than respectable considering they are also juggling European commitments, and they will fancy their chances of a fourth straight away win here.
All four of Montpellier's points have come at home this season, but the humbling they received from Toulouse in their last outing suggests familiar surroundings may do little to save them here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
