Brest vs Real Madrid

Stade de Roudourou is the venue as Brest and Real Madrid meet for the first time in the Champions League. 

After enjoying a stellar four-game start to their maiden Champions League campaign (W3, D1), Brest’s hopes of securing automatic last-16 qualification spiraled into chaos. Indeed, two defeats from their last three league-phase outings (W1) have demoted them to 13th in the 36-team table, leaving them a point beneath the top eight. However, the French team should take the field in high spirits after winning seven of their last nine games in all competitions (L2), including a 1-0 Ligue 1 triumph at Le Havre over the weekend. Adding to the hosts’ confidence, they’ve gone unbeaten in all three Champions League home fixtures (W2, D1), with the last two featuring under 2.5 goals. Moreover, Brest’s ongoing five-game winning home streak in competitive action sets them up nicely for this blockbuster clash.

In the meantime, Real Madrid put RB Salzburg to the sword in the previous round, running out 5-1 victors at home, before dismantling La Liga minnows Valladolid 3-0 last weekend. However, it’s probably too little too late for the reigning Champions League holders to secure a top-eight finish, though they’ve already sealed a playoff spot. After losing their first two away matches in the newly formatted league phase without scoring, Carlo Ancelotti’s side squeezed past Atalanta 3-2. But one of those defeats came against Brest’s domestic rivals Lille, extending Real Madrid’s underwhelming Champions League run on French soil (W5, D2, L7). ‘Los Blancos’ seem well-positioned to defy that record after winning five of their last six competitive away games (D1).