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Current champions take on the Pirates coming Sunday at Stade Francis-Le Ble, which also marks the end of Ligue 1 this season for both teams. Pochettino’s side will look to claim all three points to win the league. On the other hand, even a draw will not suffice for Brest to avoid relegation.
Brest have been extremely poor in recent times, having won only a single game out of the last ten games in all competitions. They failed to score against 10-men Montpellier last week with eight shots on target. The week before, they lost 3-2 against Nice and failed to capitalize on their lead. Nice, who were reduced to 10 men after a controversial red card shown to their captain Pierre Lees-Melou, scored twice after the incident and regained the lead. Their last big win was against Dijon, who are currently at the bottom of the table, where they managed to score thrice within 90 mins. In the very next game against, they were knocked out of the French Cup by Les Parisiens.
PSG, who although got knocked out of the Champions League by Premier League champions – Manchester City, have recently won the French Cup final against Monaco on Thursday by scoring twice with Mauro Icardi and Kylian Mbappe on the score sheet. However, the draw against Rennes, who equalized after a towering header from Serhou Guirassy in the 70th minute right after the champions league exit, might come back to bite them if they fail against Brest. Mauricio Pochettino, having already won two silverware with PSG in a short time, will hope to get his hands on the league trophy, especially after a disappointing Champions league performance.
As things stand, PSG are currently second in the table with 79 points from 37 games. League leaders Lille have 80 points from 37 games with their last game to be played against Angers, who are currently out of form, having managed to win just one game from their last five games in the league. PSG have a chance to be crowned as champions, yet again, only if Lille lose or draw against Angers which seems very unlikely considering the past record of both teams. If Lille lose, PSG can settle for a draw. Any other result would mean that PSG have to win against their opponents.
On the other hand, Brest are facing a similar situation but at the bottom of the table. They are currently 16th in the table with 41 points from 37 games. Behind their back, we have Lorient and Nantes, who have 41 and 40 points, and also have Strasbourg and Montpellier to play, respectively. Brest could still be relegated if they lose or draw against PSG and if both Lorient and Nantes manage to win in their final games. Lorient play a comparatively easy opponent when compared to Nantes. But the Canaries have managed to win the last four games, which also includes a 1-4 victory against Brest away from home. They also managed a draw against Montpellier the last time they met away from home.
Both the teams have to win this fixture, although for different reasons. For one, it can’t get worse than a third-place finish in the league, but for the other, it could go as far as getting relegated and playing Ligue 2 next season. Both Pochettino and Olivier Dall’Oglio will look to get the better of each other and this brings us an exciting contest. As far as injuries are concerned, Layvin Kurzawa, Marco Verratti, Alexandre Letellier, and Juan Bernat miss out. Neymar Jr and Presnel Kimpembe are set to return after missing out on the cup final due to suspensions. Christophe Herelle, Romain Philippoteaux, Sebastien Cibois and Paul Lasne miss out for Brest due to injuries.
Key Players
Kylian Mbappe has 26 goals and seven assists and is also the leading goal scorer with 1.02 goals per 90 in Ligue 1 this season. Having scored twice against Brest earlier this season to knock them out of the French cup, he is expected to score again partnering with Neymar and Mauro Icardi upfront. The 22-year-old Frenchmen has an xG of 23.4 which is the highest among his teammates.
Pablo Sarabia has six goals and four assists this season with two goals in two matches against Brest. The 29-year-old is expected to be one of the key players in this game despite the fact that he might not start but will definitely come on later in the game to have an impact.
Steve Mounie has nine goals and four assists to his name this season and is the leading goal scorer for Brest this season. If Brest can bank on someone to score, it is definitely Benin forward out there with an xG of 11.3. He is also good with headers and aerial duels with 7.4 Aerials won this season which is a weakness for PSG.
The young French full-back Romain Perraud has seven assists and three goals for Brest this season. Brest, who are known to attack down the wing, would exploit the wings with the likes of Perraud and Romain Faivre. Perraud has 75 shot-creating actions this season right below Faivre and Franck Honorat. He is expected to be a key player in this game, and if he manages to provide good crosses into the final third, it increases the chances of the Mounie scoring.
Prediction
PSG have an excellent record against Brest and have never been defeated by the latter in an official fixture. They have won nine out of the ten matches played between the two teams. PSG are the better team considering their position in the league and their line-up. With their colossal front three, PSG will go all-out attack to score as many as they can. But Brest have sprung a few surprises this season and will look to fight as hard as they can to avoid relegation.
