Brest vs PSG

Stade Francis-Le Blé is the venue as relegation-battling Brest and title-bidding PSG go head-to-head in a ‘David v Goliath’ Ligue 1 showdown.

Despite beating Strasbourg 1-0 on the road last time out to end an underwhelming five-game winless Ligue 1 run (D2, L3), Brest start this round dangerously flirting with the drop zone. Eric Roy’s men sit only one point clear of 17th-placed Auxerre ahead of their return to the Stade Francis-Le Blé, where they’ve only won two of their 12 league outings this season (D5, L5). The improvement of that woeful record looks unlikely as they take on a PSG side they’ve lost to in their last five top-flight H2Hs at home by an aggregate score of 12-3. But Roy has improved Brest’s defense since taking charge of the team in mid-January, with ‘Les Pirates’ keeping four clean sheets in nine Ligue 1 matches under his stewardship.

In the meantime, PSG will be looking to bounce back from another European disaster after Bayern Munich knocked them out of the Champions League round of 16 in midweek. Despite boasting a star-studded frontline, PSG failed to score in both legs against the Bundesliga powerhouse, as the pressure starts to mount on manager Christophe Galtier. Winning a record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 title may extend his stay in Paris, with ‘Les Parisiens’ commencing this round eight points clear at the top after winning their last three league games. They’ve been prolific in the process, netting at least three goals in each of those three matches, a feat they’ve managed in four of their last six competitive away H2Hs. Maintaining their free-scoring form would see PSG become the 12th team to score 3,000 Ligue 1 goals, as they’re currently only two shy of the mark.