Brest vs Reims

Stade Francis-Le Ble forms the backdrop for Brest’s must-win Ligue 1 clash against out-of-sorts Reims. 

Brest’s historic Ligue 1 campaign could culminate with a berth in the Champions League qualifying rounds if they can hold onto fourth place down the final stretch. It’s now a near-certainty that they’ll secure a maiden European appearance despite only winning once across their last four league outings (D1, L2). Back at the Stade Francis-Le Ble, where they’ve only lost once this Ligue 1 season (W8, D6, L2), the hosts ought to be confident of ending their rough patch. Adding to this sentiment, Eric Roy’s men haven’t lost a top-flight fixture against sides ranked tenth or lower (W12, D4), though three of those four draws have come on home turf. On a less positive note, they’ve drawn a blank in back-to-back home league matches (D1, L1).

Meanwhile, Reims relinquished a five-game unbeaten H2H run against Brest (W1, D4) with a 2-1 home loss in the reverse fixture. Avoiding defeat here will hinge on the visitors’ ability to keep things tight, considering those four unbeaten H2Hs had all produced under 2.5 goals. After an underwhelming run of one win across their last eight league matches (D3, L4), Reims severed ties with manager Will Still a week ago and are ready to embark on a new chapter. It’s up to interim boss Samba Diawara to inspire Reims’ resurgence on the road amidst a four-game winless away league streak (D2, L2). Scoring first wouldn’t guarantee success, with Reims going winless in a league-high five away games after breaking the deadlock this season (D3, L2).