With 13 points after six days in this League phase, Stade Brestois has more than exceeded what was expected of it in this discovery of the Champions League. The Bretons are currently in a top 8 which avoids a play-off (go on 11/12 and return on 18/19 February) unlike the teams ranked from 9th to 24th place.
In the three weeks that still separate it from these dates, Brest already has two C1 matches, three in Ligue 1 and one in the Coupe de France on the program. “It’s true that today, where we are, we want to continue to experience this competition and if we can actually avoid two matches in February, that would be good”admitted coach Eric Roy at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Afterwards, we know that it will be very complicated because even if we won tomorrow, that would not guarantee us that”he stressed, however, while the last day will offer them the toughest poster ever, against the title holder, Real Madrid, at Roudourou. Brest records, for this match, the returns of Pierre Lees-Melou, Romain Faivre and Ibrahim Salah, absent on Saturday against Rennes (2-1) and also of Soumaïla Coulibaly in central defense.
Brest
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Be wary of Shakhtar
“That gives us four more players and that’s important for the group, because it’s true that we’ve been in a bit of a tight flow for some time,” a admis Roy. “They are not necessarily completely in the rhythm either. But it feels good to have them with us and I hope that, little by little, they will gain strength,” he added.
However, even if Donetsk is only 27th in the league phase with 4 points in six matches, Roy is wary of Shakhtar, described as a European “big name”, given its regular participation in C1. “They have, in midfield or up front, players capable of making differences in combined play and in transitions”he underlined, citing in particular the playing master Heorhi Sudakov or the Brazilian winger Kevin.
