Ligue 1's surprise package Brest continue their charge towards Champions League qualification when they host Metz on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts enter the weekend in second, while visitors Metz are currently second-from-bottom and in grave danger of an instant return back to Ligue 2.
Match preview
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Brest's scarcely-believable campaign continued last weekend, as they returned to winning ways with a late victory over Lorient.
That kept Eric Roy's side in second, as Brest are now guaranteed European qualification for the first time in their history, but the likelihood is that it will be automatic group stage Champions League qualification for the relative minnows.
A place in the top four looks very likely now, with a seven-point gap to Nice who are fifth - a staggering achievement for a club who were playing in the fourth tier at the start of the 21st century.
Brest only won promotion to Ligue 1 in 2019, and four bottom-half finishes have followed, illustrating even more how much of an outlier this current campaign is.
A defeat to Lens last month knocked them slightly off track, but that remains their only defeat in 16 games, as Roy's side have taken 35 points in that time.
They are now on their longest unbeaten home run in over a decade, having gone eight without defeat here at the Stade Francis-Le Ble and conceding just two goals in that streak, so it is therefore no surprise that Brest have one of the best defensive records anywhere in Europe, with just 20 goals conceded after 27 league games.
While all of four Brest's previous wins over Metz have come without conceding, they actually have a rather poor recent record against their upcoming opponents at home.
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Metz have won on their last two visits here in the league, but after another humbling result last week, they will struggle to replicate that.
Laszlo Boloni saw his side go 3-0 down inside a quarter of an hour at home to Monaco before losing 5-2, leaving them four points from safety with seven games remaining.
The gap to Lorient in the relegation playoff spot is only three points, but after a fine spell in early March, they have gone off the boil again.
That spurt of form was thanks to the re-signing of Georges Mikautadze from Ajax on loan, the man who got 25 goals in their promotion campaign last season, and his form will be pivotal as to whether Metz can survive.
Mikautadze scored in both of their wins last month and has three since returning to the club late in January, adding to the two he got before his departure earlier in the season, making him the club's top scorer for the season despite spending the majority of it in Amsterdam.
Team News
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After coming on as an 89th-minute substitute against Lorient at the weekend, Bilal Brahimi did not do the best job in helping his side see out the victory, as he was given a straight red card, meaning he will be suspended here.
Another former Nice player is their only other absentee, as left-back Jordan Amavi is currently sidelined with a calf injury.
Romain Del Castillo will expect to come back into the starting XI for this one after netting the winner off the bench last week, taking the top scorer to six goals for the season in Ligue 1.
Ensuring Mikautadze is not isolated in attack will be the order of the day for Boloni, as his 5-4-1 system last week did not work in their thrashing against Monaco.
Danley Jean Jacques and Cheikh Sabaly will both return after suspension and could see Metz revert to a four-at-the-back, but Didier Lamkel Ze, Maxime Colin and Kevin N'Doram remain out injured.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Brassier, Locko; Martin, Magnetti, M Camara; Pereira Lage, Satriano, Del Castillo
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Kouao, Herelle, Cande, Udol; Van Den Kerkhof, Jean Jacques, L Camara; Sabaly, Mikautadze, Atta
We say: Brest 1-0 Metz
Metz have won on their previous two visits here, scoring six goals in the process, but with Brest's defence currently the toughest to breach in all of France, a repeat scenario looks unlikely.
Going eight games unbeaten at home has seen Brest take 18 points, and against a lowly Metz, an additional three are to be expected, with another clean sheet to boot.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
