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1 week ago
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A top-four finish could be rubber-stamped for this season's Ligue 1 surprise package Brest on Friday, when Reims make the visit to the party atmosphere at the Stade Francis-Le Ble.
Eric Roy's men are still on course for Champions League qualification despite winning just one of their last four games, while their visitors are now planning for life without head coach Will Still.
Match preview
© Reuters
Expending all their energy in a phenomenal 5-4 triumph over Rennes at the end of April, Brest's home encounter with Nantes on May 4 was a far more low-key affair, one which head coach Roy was forced to watch from the stands owing to his touchline suspension.
Both sides wasted a couple of promising chances to nick all three points as the spoils were shared, seeing Brest accrue just their fourth point from the last 12 on offer, having also been defeated by Lyon and Monaco last month to lose their grip on second place in the table.
However, Les Pirates - now occupying third spot - will be playing Europa League football at the very least next season, and their lead over fifth-placed Nice stands at six points having played a game more, meaning that Champions League qualification could be secured in Friday's action.
Nice square off with Le Havre at the same time as Brest's battle with Reims, where Roy's men will guarantee a top-four placement if they can better Les Aiglons' result, but they will get another bite at the cherry against bottom-half Toulouse on the final day should they fall short on May 10.
Only Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille (one each) can better Brest's tally of just two defeats on home territory all season, although only one of Les Pirates' last four at the Stade Francis Le-Ble has ended in victory, and even then they made hard work of a 4-3 triumph over relegation-battling Metz.
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Standing in Brest's way of possibly sealing an early top-four finish, Reims are now under new management following the exit of the much-admired Still, whose hitherto exceptional time in the hotseat ended with a whimper owing to a three-match winless run.
Before the Englishman - apparently admired by the likes of West Ham United and Sunderland - stepped down from his post with immediate effect, he oversaw a humiliating 4-1 thrashing against relegated Clermont, which succeeded losses to Strasbourg and Reims earlier in April.
Now only playing for pride and a top-half ranking as the season draws to a close, the 12th-placed Rouges et Blancs will now gear up for their first battle under the interim wing of Samba Diawara, Still's former assistant who also boasts extensive coaching experience in Belgium.
The 46-year-old's first task will be snapping an unsightly five-game winless run for Reims, who have also kept just one clean sheet on the road in the entire Ligue 1 campaign - shutting out Nantes in October - although a five-game scoring streak on the road offers some solace.
Yet to take to the field this month owing to Marseille's Europa League exploits, Reims were bested 2-1 on home soil by Brest in September, a result which ended a four-match sequence of stalemates between Les Pirates and Les Rouges et Blancs, whose last victory in this fixture came in January 2021.
Brest Ligue 1 form:
Reims Ligue 1 form:
Team News
© Reuters
As well as the return of Roy from his touchline ban, Brest also have on-loan Lens centre-back Julien Le Cardinal back at their disposal following his yellow card-induced suspension, but Les Pirates lost two players to injury in the first half of their Nantes draw.
Indeed, both Pierre Lees-Melou and Romain Del Castillo were withdrawn early doors against Les Canaris due to calf injuries, and neither man was seen in training on Tuesday, pointing to their absences for the visit of Reims.
As was the case last weekend, Jonas Martin and Mathias Pereira Lage should be summoned to fill in for the stricken pair, although Jeremy Le Douaron is an alternative option on the wing for Roy.
While Brest have a defender back in their ranks following a stint on the naughty step, Reims have coincidentally lost Thibault De Smet, who was given a straight red card in the Clermont thrashing and now has a one-match suspension to serve.
De Smet joins Mohamed Daramy (knee), Maxime Busi (muscle), Joseph Okumu (ankle) and Valentin Atangana (thigh) on the sidelines for Friday's contest, and the right-back's red card should see Thomas Foket slot into the visitors' backline.
Despite it being his first match in charge, Diawara should not be averse to a couple of alterations in the wake of their recent embarrassment, offering Amir Richardson and Reda Khadra hope of forcing their way into the Reims midfield.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Brassier, Locko; Magnetti, Martin; Pereira Lage, Camara, Satriano; Mounie
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Foket, Agbadou, Abdelhamid, Koudou; Teuma, Munetsi, Richardson; Ito, Diakite, Nakamura
We say: Brest 2-1 Reims
With safety secured and only a top-half finish left to fight for this season, Reims should not be desperate for a new manager bounce under Diawara, and their defensive discipline has eluded them over the past few weeks.
Goals at either end are seemingly a guarantee in this one, but owing to the visitors' horrendous rearguard record on the road, Brest should take the spoils and do all they can to wrap up early Champions League qualification.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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