
Champions League Preview: Brest vs PSG, Knockout Round Playoffs-1st Leg
- Merlin 2025/02/10 03:22
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As the domestic trophy case at the Parc des Princes expands ever more, PSG are still searching for that elusive first Champions League title, and an indifferent league phase has not exactly fuelled the belief that this year could be their year.
Indeed, Enrique's men only won one of their first five matches of the 2024-25 season - thus leaving themselves at real risk of a chastening early exit from the competition - but the Ligue 1 champions found their groove towards the end with three wins on the spin.
Red Bull Salzburg, Manchester City and Stuttgart all fell to PSG's superiority in the final three league phase matchdays, and the capital titans are now bidding to win four in a row in Europe's premier tournament for the first time in four years, last achieving that feat in February 2021.
After slaying Stuttgart 4-1 in their final league phase showdown, PSG replicated that scoreline at home to Monaco on Friday evening, the perfect celebration to a new contract for head coach Enrique as he spearheads their seemingly unstoppable charge towards a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title.
Speaking of good things coming in hours, PSG's thrashing of Monaco represented their fourth successive victory in all tournaments and stretched their terrific unbeaten run to 16 matches, although their most recent loss did come in a Champions League away fixture at Bayern Munich.
As PSG struggled to pull up trees early doors in the Champions League, Eric Roy's Brest emerged as shock contenders for a spot in the coveted top eight, winning three of their first four games in the league phase and holding Bundesliga invincibles Bayer Leverkusen to a draw in the other.
Les Pirates inevitably could not maintain their magnificent European sequence in the second half of the opening stage, though, as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk all proved too strong, but sinking PSV Eindhoven on matchday five ensured their place in the playoffs.
Not since Nice in the 1956-57 edition - just the second year of the European Cup - had a French side progressed to the knockout rounds in their inaugural campaign, and Brest have warmed up for Tuesday's historic fixture in ideal fashion.
After overseeing a 2-1 Coupe de France success away to Troyes on February 4, Roy masterminded a 2-0 Ligue 1 triumph against Nantes on Friday night, as goals from Ludovic Ajorque and Pierre Lees-Melou ensured that Brest would maintain their top-half ranking in the table.
However, Brest's most recent home fixture came against none other than PSG, who surged to a 5-2 top-flight triumph on February 1 to make it an astonishing 30 games unbeaten against Les Pirates, who have not conquered the champions since January 1985.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Coulibaly, Haidara; Camara, Lees-Melou, Magnetti; Faivre, Ajorque, Balde
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Lee; Barcola, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
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