On the back of the finest season in the club’s history, finishing third in Ligue 1 and qualifying for European football for the first time, Brest now have a UEFA Champions League campaign to look forward to. Before that though, they begin their new domestic campaign with a home clash against Marseille having won only one of their five opening games to date since their return to the top flight (D2, L2), while one of those defeats came at home against Marseille in August 2020 (3-2).
They did at least win their opener last season, but despite that helping them on their way to success last term, Éric Roy’s side haven’t enjoyed a great pre-season on or off the field – spending money on just one new arrival so far and winning only one of their six friendlies (D2, L3). Another disappointment here would see Brest extend their three-match winless home league run (D2, L1) and mark their longest such streak under Roy.
Contrastingly Saturday’s opponents Marseille endured a miserable 2023/24 campaign, finishing eighth and missing out on European qualification by one point. That was their lowest Ligue 1 finish since 2015/16, and after a season which saw Les Olympiens have three different permanent managers as well as a caretaker, former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has now taken charge.
After a summer which has seen them lose key players including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Iliman Ndiaye, but win three of their five pre-season friendlies (D1, L1), De Zerbi’s first competitive task is to extend the club’s unbeaten run on the opening day to five years. After being beaten by Reims on matchday one in 2019, Les Olympiens have won all four of their opening games since then, with the first being that victory at Brest in 2020.
Players to watch: Brest winger Romain Del Castillo finished joint-top of Ligue 1’s assist charts with eight last season, while he’s also assisted two goals in four home H2Hs. More likely to make the referee’s notebook than the scoresheet, new Marseille recruit Ismaël Koné was booked three times in four starts at the Copa América, with each caution coming in the final 15 minutes.
Hot stat: Since Brest’s return to the top flight in 2019, Marseille have won five of nine H2Hs (D1, L3), netting 2+ goals on five occasions.
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