Brest and Bayer Leverkusen will aim to continue the perfect start to their UEFA Champions League campaigns when they clash at Stade de Roudourou on Wednesday.
Matchday 3 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League first phase will conclude on Wednesday, with the action on the day kicking off with two simultaneous fixtures. One of those matches will witness two high-flyers, with Brest hosting Bayer Leverkusen at Stade de Roudourou, with both teams hot off the blocks this term.
Brest might not have reproduced the heroics of the 2023/24 season in Ligue 1 after managing only ten points in eight games to sit 11th in the standings. However, after finishing third on the table last term, the Pirates qualified for the UEFA Champions League, and they have both ties thus far to grab the second spot, only behind Borussia Dortmund on goal difference.
There are similarities between the home side and Bayer Leverkusen, with Xabi Alonso’s men also not at their best thus far in the 2024/25 season. The reigning Bundesliga champions are fourth in the standings after winning only four of their first seven games. However, they have been on a tear in the UEFA Champions League, winning both matches to occupy the same spot in Europe.
Wednesday’s match will pit Brest against Bayer Leverkusen for the first time ever, and The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the maiden meeting between the two sides at Stade de Roudourou.
Team News & Tactics
Brest
Eric Roy does not have any new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, the Stade Brestois 29 manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players.
However, neither player is in Brest’s UEFA Champions League squad, with Roy keeping Bradley Locko and Luck Zogbe out of the group until the end of the first phase. Otherwise, the home side’s manager has a full-strength squad.
Marco Bizot is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brest lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Bayer Leverkusen. The backline should feature Kenny Lala, Julien Le Cardinal, Soumaila Coulibaly, and Massadio Haidara.
As for the midfield unit, Edimilson Fernandes will hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Hugo Magnetti and Mahdi Camara providing the creative impetus from the central areas. Finally, Ludovic Ajorque will lead the line for Stade Brestois 29 against Bayer Leverkusen, with Abdallah Sima and Romain Del Castillo being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Bizot; Lala, Le Cardinal, Coulibaly, Haidara; Magnetti, Fernandes, Camara; Del Castillo, Ajorque, Sima
Bayer Leverkusen
Unlike his counterpart in the Stade Brestois 29 dugout, Xabi Alonso has one pressing injury concern to worry about ahead of the trip to Stade de Roudourou. The Bayer Leverkusen manager will be without one first-team player, with Victor Boniface recovering from a hand injury.
Boniface’s injury means Patrik Schick will get a rare opportunity to spearhead the Bayer Leverkusen attack against Brest, with Florian Wirtz and Martin Terrier likely completing the numbers in the final third.
Lukas Hradecky will take his usual spot between the sticks, with the visitors lining up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation in front of their club captain against Stade Brestois 29. The central defensive unit should feature Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie.
Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Garnacho are automatic picks as the two wing-backs, with the duo providing width in the final third and being the creative powerhouses for the away side. Finally, Aleix Garcia and Granit Xhaka will hold the fort in the middle of the park and look to launch efficient transitions with inch-perfect passing.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Garcia, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Terrier, Wirtz; Schick
Key Stats
- Brest and Bayer Leverkusen will meet for the first time on Wednesday. Die Werkself’s last four major European games against French opponents have seen 23 goals scored (14 for, nine against), with both sides scoring two or more goals in every meeting (W3 L1).
- Bayer Leverkusen have won one of their five away UEFA Champions League matches in France (D1 L3), beating Lyon in a first group stage encounter back in September 2001.
- Brest have won both games in the UEFA Champions League this season and can become the first French side to win three debut outings in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League.
- Bayer Leverkusen have kept a clean sheet in their last three Champions League matches. A shutout against Brest on Wednesday will be their longest-ever run of clean sheets in the competition (4).
- Only three sides have a lower PPDA in the UEFA Champions League this season than Brest (8.6), while only four sides have created more big chances than the French club’s eight.
Player to Watch
Patrik Schick
With Victor Boniface unavailable due to a hand injury, the onus is on Schick to grab the golden opportunity with both hands and show Xabi Alonso that he can be an asset for Bayer Leverkusen this season.
The Czech striker has struggled for game time thus far this term, managing only 250 minutes of action in eight outings. In addition, with Schick not scoring more than once this season, the time is perfect for him to find some form and deliver the goods in a crucial European fixture for Bayer Leverkusen.
Prediction
Brest 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Both teams will barely miss players, and the two managers will line up with their strongest starting elevens this week. Brest and Bayer Leverkusen are also on a similar run of form, going unbeaten in their last three outings and picking up some form ahead of a clutch UEFA Champions League tie.
We should expect a closely contested affair, with Brest exploiting Bayer Leverkusen’s defensive frailties during counter-attacking opportunities. However, Xabi Alonso’s men will control the game for much of the outing, and that will hold the key. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the reigning Bundesliga champions.
