Barcelona vs Brest

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is the venue as Barcelona and Brest go head-to-head in their first-ever UEFA Champions League encounter.

Barcelona let complacency get the better of them against Celta Vigo last weekend, dropping a two-goal cushion in a disturbing 2-2 draw. In doing so, Hansi Flick’s charges allowed Real Madrid to cut the deficit at La Liga’s summit to four points, intensifying pressure on the team to go for spectacular in Europe. Despite back-to-back winless league outings (D1, L1), ‘Los Blaugranas’ return to the Champions League in a buoyant mood after three consecutive 3+ goal margin victories saw them jump to sixth in the standings following a 2-1 defeat at Monaco on matchday one. Firing on all cylinders, Barcelona have netted a mind-blowing 25 goals across their last six competitive home games, increasing the likelihood of them becoming the first in Champions League history to win four successive matches by a 3+ goal margin.

In the meantime, it’s been a remarkable Champions League start for competition debutants Brest as they’ve gone unbeaten in their first four matches (W3, D1), including a 2-1 away win at Sparta Prague last time out. In addition to commencing this round as one of only six teams yet to lose a Champions League fixture this season, ‘Los Pirates’ are a point away from becoming the first French side since Bordeaux 20 years ago to beginning the tournament on a five-game unbeaten run. It would be an incredible feat for Eric Roy’s men, even more so after a 3-2 defeat at Monaco last weekend left them closer to the bottom three than the top six in the Ligue 1 table, rounding off an underwhelming four-game sequence (W1, L3).