Three weeks after a trip to Rennes, Paris Saint-Germain are set to return to Brittany, this time travelling to the tip of Finistère to face Brest. It promises to be another tricky trip, as Brest remain unbeaten in the league after three games. After a draw at Le Mans (2–2), SB29 held their own against Toulouse in their first home game of the season (2–2), before securing a win away at Le Havre last week (1–2).
For their part, the Parisians have had a more difficult start to the season. But Luis Enrique’s men have shown resilience, even against the odds, to snatch two precious points from Rennes (2–2) and then from Lille (2–2). On the last matchday, the Rouge et Bleu lost to Monaco (1–2), but they bounced back immediately with a resounding victory over Slovan Bratislava just three days ago in the Champions League (6–1). Now, the capital club will be looking to build on that by securing their first league win.
2 – Stade Brestois 29 (72) and Paris Saint-Germain (60) are the two teams with the most shots on goal in Ligue 1 this season.
7 – With seven goals, Brest is the team against whom Ousmane Dembélé has scored the most goals in all competitions whilst playing for the Rouge et Bleu.
34 – The capital club has now gone 34 games unbeaten in all competitions against Brest (26 wins, 8 draws), which is the longest unbeaten run in history across all competitions by a current Ligue 1 club against another.
In goal for Brest, Julien Lachuer will once again put his faith in Egil Selvik. On loan from Watford, the Norwegian international is currently preferred to Mathieu Patouillet, who came through the ranks at Olympique Lyonnais and previously played for Sochaux. In defence, the French manager will have to do without his captain, Brendan Chardonnet, who has suffered a calf injury and will miss the match. This presents an opportunity for the young Raphaël Le Guen (20), a native of Finistère and a product of the club’s youth system, who is expected to line up alongside Gautier Lloris, who joined from Le Havre this summer.
On the right side of defence, the Breton coaching staff should once again be able to count on the highly experienced Kenny Lala. The former Strasbourg full-back was forced off through injury last week, but he has already returned to training and appears ready to start, which is likely to see Luck Zogbé return to the bench. On the opposite flank, Bradley Locko is the undisputed first-choice and is unlikely, in the short term, to be under threat from the signing of the young Justin Bourgault (20). In midfield, the ever-reliable Hugo Magnetti has taken over the captain’s armband in the absence of Brendan Chardonnet.
He is one of the key figures in the Brest squad, and, unsurprisingly, he is likely to be joined by Joris Chotard. The former Montpellier player is starting his second season in Brittany, where he has already established himself as a key player. He is therefore likely to be preferred to former Lyon player Lucas Tousart, as well as new signings Mamady Diambou and Joseph Nonge. The Finistère side’s midfield is, of course, set to be completed by Kamory Doumbia, who has made a sensational start to the season. The Malian international has already scored four goals and provided one assist in three matches, in a team where his influence has grown following the departure of Romain Del Castillo.
To fill the void left by the former Rennes player, SB29 are relying on the dynamic Mama Baldé. After spells with Troyes and Lyon, among others, Brest’s No. 17 seems determined to seize his chance to establish himself as a first-team regular this season. Something that the promising Pathé Mboup (22) is currently doing, as he is now the favourite to start on the left-wing. So there will be pace on the Breton flanks this Sunday, but also talent, as French Under-21 internationals Noah Edjouma and Giovani Versini could make appearances during the game. Finally, the indispensable Ludovic Ajorque will start up front and will be one of Brest’s main threats.
