Brest vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
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Two sides boasting 100% records in the league phase so far lock horns in France as Brest host Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Wednesday October 23rd 2024: UK – 5:45pm / US ET – 12:45pm / US PT – 9:45am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports 3 / US – CBS Sports
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – Paramount+
BREST PREVIEW: DREAM START TO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LIFE
Brest could not have asked for a better start to life in the Champions League, taking to the level like a duck to water. After coming out on top by two goals to one against Sturm Graz in what felt like a vital game, they went on to complete the Austrian double in some style, stunning Salzburg in Austria.
A perfectly executed gameplay of soaking up pressure before hitting Salzburg on the counter-attack multiple times saw Brent run away with a 0-4 victory. With six points from a possible six, maybe now they’ll be dreaming about the knockout stage.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN PREVIEW: TWO FROM TWO FOR XABI ALONSO’S MEN
Bayer Leverkusen were expected to do well in the league phase and so far, they’ve been flawless. Two games played, two wins, five goals scored and none conceded. Things are going right in all departments as it stands. They were forced to work hard for it against a resolute AC Milan but eventually, Leverkusen broke through.
Having slipped up a couple of times already this season in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen head into this match on the back of a massive victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, coming from behind to eventually win 2-1 at the BayArena.
BREST TEAM NEWS: LEES-MELOU READY TO MAKE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BOW
Brighton loanee Abdallah Sima and defender Julian Le Cardinal are both injury doubts, whilst star left-back Bradley Locko is already confirmed to be missing the entire league phase. However, midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou made his first start of the season against Rennes and is set to do so again, this time in the Champions League.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Coulibaly, Amavi; Camara, Fernandes, Magnetti; Del Castillo, Ajorque, Pereira Lage
UNAVAILABLE: Locko (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Sima (Injured), Le Cardinal (Injured)
BAYER LEVERKUSEN TEAM NEWS: WIRTZ EXPECTED TO START
After coming off the bench at the weekend, Florian Wirtz should be fit enough to start on this occasion after an ankle injury sustained on international duty had seen him miss training. Elsewhere, a hand injury suffered by Victor Boniface in a car accident renders him doubtful.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Hradecky; Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Terrier, Boniface, Wirtz
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Boniface (Injured)
KEY STATS
- Brest have scored inside of the opening 25 minutes in their previous two UEFA Champions League matches this season.
- Abdallah Sima has scored in Brest’s previous two UEFA Champions League matches this season (three goals in two appearances). If he scores in this match he will become the first Senegalese player to score in his first three appearances in the UEFA Champions League proper.
- Leverkusen have won four of their last five UEFA competition matches against French teams (L1).
- Leverkusen have lost only one of their last 16 UEFA competition matches (W11 D4).
- Leverkusen have won their last eight UEFA competition group/league phase matches.
- Leverkusen are aiming to start a campaign in the UEFA Champions League proper with three successive wins for the first time.
BREST VS BAYER LEVERKUSEN PREDICTION
If Brest show the same cutting edge they did on the counter-attack when playing Salzburg, then they should be afforded more success offensively against Bayer Leverkusen. Although the visitors are yet to concede a goal in this season’s Champions League, they are still without a clean sheet domestically in 2024-25 and Brest have shown to have the attacking tools capable of hurting their opponents with six goals already across the league phase. Having said that, Brest are yet to play a team of Leverkusen’s quality and the expectation is that Xabi Alonso’s side will prove too strong for them, even if the hosts do find the net.
BREST VS BAYER LEVERKUSEN TIP: BAYER LEVERKUSEN TO WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
