French aspect Brest make their Champions League debut on Thursday night once they host Austrian outfit Sturm Graz at Stade Francis-Le Ble.
After a shocking 2023/24 marketing campaign which noticed them end third in Ligue 1 and qualify for a European competitors for the primary time, Brest start their Champions League journey with a beneficial dwelling fixture.
Nevertheless, Brest kicked off the 2024/25 season with a 5-1 loss to Marseille and have adopted that up with 2-0 and 3-1 defeats by the hands of Lens and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. Bar a 4-0 win over newly-promoted Saint-Etienne, it has been an especially robust starting for the Pirates.
Issues have been quite totally different for Sturm Graz at first of the brand new season. The defending Austrian Bundesliga champions have received their final 5 outings in all competitions and at the moment high the league desk.
Right here is 90min’s information to Brest vs Sturm Graz.
Location: Brest, France
Stadium: Stade Francis-Le Ble
Date: Thursday 19 September
Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
Referee: Nicolas Walsh (SCO)
VAR: David Coote (ENG)
Brest vs Sturm Graz H2H Report
Brest and Sturm Graz have by no means performed each other in a aggressive fixture.
Present type (all competitions)
Brest | Sturm Graz |
|---|---|
PSG 3-1 Brest – 14/09/24 | Sturm Graz 4-2 WSG Tirol – 31/08/24 |
Brest 4-0 Saint-Etienne – 31/08/24 | Ried 1-3 Sturm Graz – 28/08/24 |
Lens 2-0 Brest – 25/08/24 | Sturm Graz 2-1 Altach – 24/08/24 |
Brest 1-5 Marseille – 17/08/24 | Austria Klagenfurt 0-2 Strum Graz – 17/08/24 |
Newcastle 1-0 Brest – 10/08/24 | Sturm Graz 2-0 Hartberg – 11/08/24 |
Nation | TV channel/dwell stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | TNT Sports activities 5, discovery+, discovery+ App |
United States | Paramount+, ViX |
Canada | DAZN |
Brest are lacking a number of gamers for his or her maiden Champions League encounter, with Romain Faivre, Pierre Lees-Melou and Bradley Locko all sidelined with accidents. The latter will probably be lacking till 2025 after struggling an Achilles difficulty.
Brest nonetheless have loads of high quality throughout their aspect and might depend on 6’5 Ludovic Ajorque up entrance for targets. On mortgage from Mainz, he will probably be supported in assault by Abdallah Sima, who’s on mortgage from Brighton and sparkled at Rangers final time period.
Brest predicted lineup vs Sturm Graz (4-3-3): Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Le Cardinal, Haidara; Camara, Fernandes, Magnetti; Del Castillo, Ajorque, Sima.
Sturm Graz are making their return to the Champions League for the primary time in over twenty years, with the Austrian aspect having by no means reached the knockout stage of the competitors. Christian Ilzer can have his work lower out to treatment that this season.
Summer time signing Mika Biereth will lead the road midweek after becoming a member of from Arsenal and the younger striker has already produced three targets and an help within the league this season. Brest might want to maintain him, attacking midfielder Otar Kiteishvili and deep-lying playmaker Tomi Horvat quiet if they need their first European victory.
Sturm Graz predicted lineup vs Brest (4-3-1-2): Scherpen; Johnston, Aiwu, Lavalee, Gazibegovic; Horvat, Gorenc-Stankovic, Kiteishvili; Zvonarek; Biereth, Grgic.
With either side missing Champions League expertise, it is robust to foretell what sort of encounter we are going to witness for the primary ever assembly between the groups. In all honesty, it is prone to be a cagey affair that each are determined to not lose.
Nevertheless, Brest’s superior high quality – particularly in assault – and residential benefit may cause them to a slim win, with their poor current type simply defined by fixtures up towards a few of Ligue 1’s strongest sides.
