Brest face Stade de Reims after Leverkusen draw.
Reims vs
Brest
As Reims looks to bounce back from their recent defeat and rekindle their home form, they face a determined Brest side striving to overcome their away struggles in a clash of two sides eager to climb the Ligue 1 ranks at Stade Auguste-Delaune.
Reims
Keito Nakamura’s last-gasp strike in the 90+5 minute gave Reims a faint glimmer of hope, but they ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat against Auxerre. This loss ended their six-match unbeaten run, pausing their momentum after three consecutive victories.
The Red and Whites sit sixth in Ligue 1 with 14 points from three wins, one draw, and four losses. They aim to get back to winning ways but have struggled against Brest, not having secured a victory in their last six Ligue 1 encounters against them.
Despite their struggles against Brest, Reims have performed well at home with four wins in their last six league matches at the Stade Auguste-Delaune. This equals the number of home wins they achieved in their prior 12 matches.
Manager Luka Elsner is expected to stick to his preferred 4-5-1 formation, with Ivorian forward Oumar Diakité returning from suspension to head the attack. However, Mohammed Daramy and Reda Khadra remain long-term absentees, and Abdoul Koné is also unavailable for this match.
Brest
Brest's Champions League unbeaten run continued as they held last season's Europa League finalists, Bayer Leverkusen, to a 1-1 draw. This result pushed them into the top six of the revamped league phase format standings and extended their unbeaten streak to four games [WWDD].
Manager Eric Roy praised his team's performance, stating, “We really put this great Leverkusen team in difficulty, especially in the second half. I’m proud of my players; they did the right thing. It’s not a victory, but it’s an encouraging result for the future.”
Returning to Ligue 1, Brest have accumulated 10 points from eight matches [3W, 1D, 4L], their second-highest tally at this stage since their top-flight return in 2019. This is only surpassed by their 2023/24 season [15 points, when they finished 3rd].
However, their away form has been troubling, with three consecutive defeats in Ligue 1 this season. A loss here would mark four consecutive away defeats for the first time since November-December 2019.
Eric Roy is likely to stick with the 4-3-3 setup, featuring Romain Del Castillo and Pereira Lage supporting Ludovic Ajorque in attack. Fortunately for Les Pirates, they have a relatively healthy squad for this match, with Julien Le Cardinal as the only absentee.
