Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash between Brest and Marseille, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Both aiming to kickstart their 2024-25 Ligue 1 campaign with a victory, Brest will play host to Marseille at the Stade Francis-Le Ble on Saturday.
The hosts achieved their highest-ever top-flight finish by securing third place last season, while the visitors disappointingly dropped out of the European spots for the first time since 2018-19, finishing eighth.
Match preview
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After their most recent relegation from Ligue 1 in 2012-13, Brest spent six seasons in the second division before eventually securing their promotion back into the top flight with a second-placed finish in 2018-19.
In their initial four campaigns back in Ligue 1, the Pirates expectedly placed in the bottom half of the division, narrowly escaping the drop in 2020-21 by finishing just a point above 17th-placed Nantes and achieving a high of 11th in 2021-22.
However, Eric Roy, who has been in charge of the side since January 2023, did an immense job last year by guiding the side to a remarkable third-placed finish with 61 points from 34 matches, the highest top-flight finish in their history.
A 3-0 win on the final day against Toulouse, combined with Nice scoring a last-minute equaliser against fourth-placed Lille, meant Brest secured third place, directly qualifying them for the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, marking their first-ever appearance in any European competition.
Following that incredible term, Roy’s men have endured a difficult pre-season in preparation for the new campaign, only winning one of their six friendly fixtures, losing three in that time.
Despite the results, Roy has been “satisfied with the team’s collective behaviour” throughout pre-season, and the manager will be hoping his side can kick off 2024-25 with a victory, continuing their strong performances from last year.
Their opening match could prove to be a tricky one against Marseille, who will be aiming for a much-improved season after a dismal 2023-24 that saw them drop out of the European places for the first time since 2018-19.
The Olympians had finished in the top three in three of the four seasons since failing to qualify for European competition with a fifth-placed finish in 2018-19, but they fell to a disappointing eighth-placed finish last year.
Former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has taken charge of the side ahead of 2024-25, and the Italian has enjoyed a promising pre-season with the French club.
After a 2-0 loss to Nimes Olympique in their first friendly, Marseille rebounded with three wins from their next four matches, recording a 2-2 draw against Sunderland in the remaining game.
The main factor in Marseille’s underwhelming previous campaign was their poor away form, securing just 14 points from 17 matches on the road and placing them 15th in the away results table, and De Zerbi will be eager to improve on that, starting with Saturday’s fixture.
Brest form (friendlies):
Marseille form (all competitions):
Team News
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Roy will have a full squad to choose from for this game with his side avoiding any injury concerns during their pre-season preparations, though Pierre Lees Melou is likely to start on the bench having lacked game time in their friendly fixtures.
New striker signing Ludovic Ajorque is also not fully fit, leaving Jeremy Le Douaron likely to partner Romain Del Castillo, who scored eight times last year, in the attack.
Jordan Amavi re-joined the side on a free transfer from Saturday’s opponents after playing for the hosts on loan last year, and the former Marseille defender is expected to start here.
The visitors will be without Bilal Nadir, Ruben Blanco and Valentin Rongier for this one with all three still continuing their recovery from injury issues.
Summer signing Mason Greenwood has been in hot form during pre-season, scoring against Augsburg and Pau FC, and the forward is likely to start on Saturday.
Fellow forward Elye Wahi has also joined ahead of the new campaign, and while the former RC Lens striker is unlikely to start, he is anticipated to feature off the bench.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Cardinal, Amavi; Lage, Martin, Magnetti; Camara; Douaron, Castillo
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Garcia, Murillo, Balerdi, Merlin; Greenwood, Veretout, Hojbjerg, Henrique; Moumbagna, Harit
We say: Brest 1-1 Marseille
De Zerbi’s side are likely to dominate the possession in this game and could cause Brest plenty of problems, but we expect the hosts to pounce on the counter-attack, leading us to expect a draw in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.