Barcelona vs Brest, Champions League: Team News, Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction
FC Barcelona (6th, 9pts) vs Stade Brestois 29 (4th, 10pts)*
*Standings at beginning of Matchday 5
Competition/Round: 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, League Phase, Matchday 5
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc-André ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati, Andreas Christensen, Lamine Yamal, Marc Bernal (out), Ferran Torres, Eric García, Alejandro Balde (doubt)
Brest Outs & Doubts: Pierre Lees-Melou, Bradley Locko (out)
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 26, 2024, 9pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 8pm GMT (UK), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 1.30am IST (India, Wednesday)
Venue: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Montjuïc, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
How to watch on TV: TNT Sports 4 (UK), Movistar (Spain), others
How to watch online: Paramount+ (USA), discovery+ (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), Sony LIV (India), others
Following a wild and disappointing draw away to Celta Vigo at the weekend, Barcelona return to action for their fifth League Phase match in this season’s Champions League as they welcome Ligue 1 side Brest to the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night.
Barça come into this one after dropping points for a second game in a row thanks to a poor overall performance and a bad collapse in the final 10 minutes, which wasted a two-goal lead and cost them two big points in the early stages of the La Liga title race.
It was also the second game in a row without Lamine Yamal that didn’t go Barça’s way, which is a cause for concern given the teenage superstar will also miss Tuesday’s clash due to his ankle injury. The Blaugrana are yet to play well without the 17-year-old, which makes a quality victory over Brest a big deal for multiple reasons.
Barça will be considered big favorites for this one given they’ll be playing at home against a team not a lot of people know, but anyone who has actually watched Brest play this season are aware of the challenge they will bring to Catalonia as the club and its fans enjoy their first-ever European campaign.
Brest are a classic mid-table Ligue 1 team: very physical, very tall, very dangerous on the counter and on set pieces, very well organized, and not afraid to kick the living hell out of their opponents. Their only true special creative force in midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou won’t play against Barça due to injury, so their main goal on Tuesday is to be as tough as possible and earn a point in what is undoubtedly one of the biggest games in their history.
The fact they are fourth in the standings after four games, even with a favorable schedule, is not a fluke: Brest have earned all of their 10 points and held reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen to a draw having played very well on that night, and they’ll be confident they can take advantage of Barça’s mini-slump to get one of their biggest results ever.
As for Hansi Flick’s troops, they need to return to their best as quickly as possible to avoid any needless negativity, which can come quickly in Barça Land when the results don’t go their way. They also need to prove to themselves that they can play well, score goals and win without Yamal, and a victory over a direct contender in the standings will solidify Barça’s position in the Top 8 as they get closer to clinching an automatic spot in the Round of 16.
This has become a bigger game than it seemed three weeks ago, but two games without a win, a couple of bad performances and an untimely injury has made this a must-win for Barça. Brest will do everything in their power to frustrate the Catalans, but the home team must show their strength.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Peña; Kounde, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Fort; Casadó, De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Olmo
Brest (4-3-1-2): Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Le Cardinal, Amavi; Camara, Magnetti, Fernandes; Doumbia; Baldé, Ajorque
PREDICTION
Brest are tougher to beat than people think, but this is a must-win for Barça and I believe they’ll play with the necessary intensity to achieve that result: 3-0 to the good guys.
