Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will look to secure their third straight win in the Champions League when they hit the road to face Brest.
Both Real Madrid and Brest have secured a spot in the knockout stages, but they still have a lot to play for as a positive result here could help their chances of securing a spot directly into the round of 16. While only a win won’t be enough as quite a result will have to go their way, both teams will certainly want to end the group stage on a high.
Brest are 13th on the points table with 13 points in their seven outings thanks to four wins, two defeats and a draw. They are level on points will eighth-placed Bayer Leverkusen, and a win here could do wonders for them.
But, having lost two out of their last three UEFA Champions League games, they will surely not find it easy to go past Los Blancos, who have picked up the pace after a poor start. They are 16th on the table with just 12 points.
While Carlo Ancelotti’s team started their Champions League campaign with a win, they suffered defeats in three out of their next four games. At a point in time, qualification to the next round was in a major doubt, but consecutive wins have eased the pressure.
They might have made it to the knockout rounds, but they will still go all out for a win as they still have an outside chance of finishing in the top-eight. Having won their last four outings, Madrid will be confident of getting a positive result in Brest. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Brest
The home team could be without the services of Bradley Locko, Jordan Amavi, and Karamoko Dembele. Meanwhile, Mama Balde suffered a blow in their outing against Le Havre, and it is not clear how long he will be out.
Brest will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Marco Bizot will take charge in goal. Kenny Lala and Mathias Pereira Lage will be the full-backs, while Brendan Chardonnet will partner with Soumaïla Coulibaly in central defence.
Edimilson Fernandes and Hugo Magnetti will form the double pivot in midfield. They will look to shield the backline against a star-studded Real Madrid attack. Finally, Abdallah Sima and Romain Del Castillo will feature out wide on the flanks, while Mahdi Camara will take up the no. 10 role. Meanwhile, Ludovic Ajorque will be the one leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Coulibaly, Pereira Lage; Fernandes, Magnetti; Sima, Camara, Del Castillo; Ajorque
Real Madrid
Vinicius Junior remains suspended for this fixture, while Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal, and Eder Militao are out injured.
Real Madrid will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will be in goal. Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy will be the full-backs, while Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger will feature in the heart of the defence.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Luka Modric will form the double pivot as Federico Valverde could be rested for this one. They will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure they have the majority of the ball.
Jude Bellingham will continue in the no. 10 role, while Rodrygo and Arda Guler will feature on the flanks. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe will lead the line for Real Madrid against Brest on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Modric, Tchouameni; Guler, Bellingham, Rodrygo; Mbappe
Key Stats
- Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash is all set to be the first meeting between Brest and Real Madrid.
- Brest are all set to face a Spanish club for the second time after having suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona earlier in the season.
- Real Madrid have won 20 out of their 37 matches against French clubs.
- Brest have won their last five home games scoring 12 goals in those fixtures.
- Los Blancos have suffered only one defeat in their last 13 games across competitions.
Player to Watch
Arda Guler
The Turkish international has eight goal contributions in close to 900 minutes of first-team action and he will look to add to his tally if he gets the opportunity in this fixture. He tends to step up and deliver every time Carlo Ancelotti has called him up, and the Italian tactician will hope for something similar from him this time around as well.
Prediction
Brest 1-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid might have started slowly in the ongoing campaign but they finally started to click. With all their big stars firing, they should not have much difficulty in taking down Brest. The home team were off to a flying start in the UEFA Champions League. But things have slowed down in the recent past.
The Ligue 1 outfit have already punched above their weight, and they will be happy with the fact that they have made it knockouts irrespective of what happens in this fixture. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the away team.