Lorient boss Christian Gourcuff has said that his team must improve on their recent performances if they are to score an away victory against Brest tonight.

Les Merlus started the season in fine form, going eight games unbeaten - including an opening-day draw with Paris Saint-Germain, followed by a 2-1 win over reigning champions Montpellier HSC.

However, that run came to an abrupt end with a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Valenciennes.

Les Merlus battled back from 4-1 down to draw their last fixture at home to Ajaccio, but Gourcuff said that he was far from pleased with their first-half performance.

The 57-year-old said that a trip to the Stade Francis-Le Ble is "never easy" and he expects his team to be tested physically.

"This will be another tough game against a Brest side who are in need of a lift," Ligue1.com quotes Gourcuff as saying. "They need a good result, but so do we.

"The game against Ajaccio was an epic but, as good as our second-half performance was, we cannot forget the errors we made in the first half. And we can't forget our catastrophic performance at Valenciennes.

"Brest are a different type of opponent. It is always more of a physical battle when we go to Finistere. It is certainly never an easy game, and there is always a great atmosphere. But all that matters for the two clubs is picking up the points."

Gourcuff took charge of Lorient in 2003.