Brest and Paris Saint-Germain will be eager to inch closer to a spot in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 when they face off at Stade du Roudourou on Tuesday.
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League resumes this week with the playoffs to qualify for the round of 16. Eight ties over two legs will determine which teams remain in the competition, and Brest vs PSG at Stade du Rourourou will kick things off on Tuesday.
Stade Brestois 29 ended up being one of the most impressive teams in the opening phase of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, coming close to qualifying for the round of 16. However, the 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid on Matchday 8 left Brest in the 18th spot in the standings, setting up a playoff tie with Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking of PSG, the Ligue 1 champions have been one of the most underwhelming performers in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. Les Parisiens came close to missing out on a spot in the top 24 before a three-match winning run helped them rise to 15th in the standings, level on points with Brest.
As for matters in Ligue 1, the 2024/25 campaign has not progressed like last season for Brest, although a run of four wins in five league games has helped Eric Roy’s charges to rise to eighth on the table. On the other hand, PSG will likely win another Ligue 1 title this term, with second-placed Marseille ten points behind Luis Enrique’s charges.
Brest and PSG have already locked horns twice this season, with Enrique’s men clinching convincing victories in both games. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Stade Brestois 29
Eric Roy has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Brest manager will be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs PSG on Tuesday.
Bradley Locko is the most notable absentee due to a long-term leg injury. In addition, Jonas Martin and Karamoko Dembele are on the sidelines due to their muscular issues.
Marco Bizot will take his spot between the sticks, with Brest lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs PSG on Tuesday. The backline should feature Kenny Lala, Massadio Haidara, Soumaila Coulibaly and captain Brendon Chardonnet.
As for the midfield unit, Pierre Less-Melou will hold the fort in the middle of the park, receiving defensive support from Mahdi Camara and Hugo Magnetti. The duo will also provide the forward thrust from the central areas. Finally, Ludovic Ajorque will lead the line for Stade Brestois 29 against Paris Saint-Germain, with Mama Balde and Romain Favre being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Coulibaly, Haidara; Camara, Lees-Melou, Magnetti; Faivre, Ajorque, Balde
Paris Saint-Germain
Unlike his counterpart in the Stade Brestois 29 dugout, Luis Enrique has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to Stade du Roudourou. The Paris Saint-Germain manager will be without two first-team players on Tuesday.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is finally eligible to represent PSG in the UEFA Champions League and will likely start on Tuesday. However, Warren Zaire-Emery and Ibrahim Mbaye continue to nurse their ankle issues.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is an automatic pick between the sticks, with PSG lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs PSG on Tuesday. The backline should feature Achraf Hakimi, Marquinho, Willian Pacho, and Nuno Mendes.
As for the midfield unit, Vitinha will line up alongside Fabian Ruiz and Lee Kang-in in the middle of the park. Finally, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will form a mobile and fluid offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Lee; Barcola, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Key Stats
- Tuesday’s match will be the first-ever European meeting with a fellow French club for Stade Brestois 29 and Paris Saint-Germain. The only previous Champions League tie between two French clubs was the 2009/10 quarter-final between Bordeaux and Lyon, from which Lyon progressed 3-2 on aggregate. PSG are unbeaten in their last 30 matches vs Brest across all competitions (W22 D8), with their most recent defeat against Les Pirates coming in January 1985 (1-3 in Ligue 1). They have already beaten Brest twice in 2024/25 (3-1 at home and 5-2 away in Ligue 1).
- Stade Brestois 29 are the first French club to make it past the first round of the European Cup/Champions League in their debut campaign in major European competition since OGC Nice reached the quarter-finals in 1956/57.
- PSG won their final three matches of this season’s UEFA Champions League league phase, their longest winning run in the competition since February 2021 (run of 4) and just one fewer win than they managed in their previous 14 fixtures in UEFA’s premier competition (W4 D3 L7).
- Brest lost only one of their four home games in the league phase of this season’s UEFA Champions League (W2 D1), their final match against Real Madrid (0-3). However, after winning three of their opening four matches (D1), they lost three of their final four fixtures (W1).
- Achraf Hakimi created more chances (21) than any other defender in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 league phase. The only defender to attempt more shots than the Moroccan international (20) was Alejandro Grimaldo (21). Hakimi was directly involved in four goals (G1 A3), the most of any defender in the league phase.
Player to Watch
Ousmane Dembele
While Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ludovic Ajorque were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Ousmane Dembele as our Player to Watch. The Frenchman has been impeccable in the last few weeks, scoring goals for fun.
Meanwhile, the former Barcelona attacker has hit the woodwork thrice in the UEFA Champions League this season, the joint-most of any player during the league phase (also by Mohamed Salah).
However, after only scoring with one of his first 25 shots in the competition this term (4%), the Frenchman converted three of his last five shots (60% – including a hat-trick vs VfB Stuttgart). Expect another game-changing performance by Dembele for PSG to take something from Tuesday’s tie.
Prediction
Stade Brestois 29 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain’s improving form suggests Stade Brestois 29 will face a tall order to overcome the away side this week. The Ligue 1 champions have also had the upper hand on their fellow French outfit, winning both meetings this season while not losing to them since 1985.
However, Brest’s solid home form in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League means the visitors must play out of their skins to get something from Tuesday’s game. However, a victory for either side might not be possible despite the positive signs for both. The Hard Tackle predicts a closely contested affair to end in a 2-2 draw.
