Brest vs Bayer Leverkusen

Stade de Roudourou sets the stage for an exciting UEFA Champions League encounter between Brest and Bayer Leverkusen.

Brest’s maiden Champions League campaign has been off to a flyer, with a pair of victories against RB Salzburg and Sturm Graz firing them to second in the 36-team table ahead of round three. However, their impressive European exploits are taking their toll in Ligue 1, where they’ve only won three of their eight matches this season (D1, L4), most recently drawing 1-1 with Rennes at home. Les Pirates have excelled at the Stade de Roudourou lately, winning four of their last five home outings (D1) to set themselves up nicely for this massive task. Beating Leverkusen would see Brest become the first French side in history to win their first three games in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

Like Brest, Bayer Leverkusen followed up a 4-0 rout of Feyenoord on day one with a gutsy 1-0 home win against AC Milan last time out to enter round three as one of only seven sides with a perfect Champions League record this term. Those triumphs form part of Die Werkself’s unbeaten seven-game run in all competitions (W5, D2), including a 2-1 home league victory against Eintracht Frankfurt over the weekend. However, except for the abovementioned success against Milan, Xabi Alonso’s charges have failed to keep a clean sheet in four of their last five competitive games. Worryingly for the reigning Bundesliga holders, they’ve only won one of their five previous Champions League visits to France (D1, L3).