Overview
Brest have been a pleasant surprise in this year's Champions League. They won both of their opening two games against Sturm Graz and RB Salzburg and are currently second in the League Phase standings. This is a better result than many other big teams in Europe.
However, Brest did not play very well in the domestic league, losing 4 out of 8 matches in Ligue 1. This is also understandable, when the schedule in the early stages of the season is quite dense for Brest. With a lack of depth in personnel, they will have difficulty competing in many different arenas.
In that context, hosting Bayer Leverkusen at home is certainly not an easy task for Brest. Coach Xabi Alonso's team is also having a record of 2 absolute victories in the Champions League this season.
In the Bundesliga, Leverkusen also has stable performance with 14 points after 7 matches, only 3 points behind the top team Bayern Munich.
Both teams are on a perfect record in the 2024-2025 Champions League, and it is possible that one side will suffer its first defeat. Brest has home advantage, but in terms of personnel, Leverkusen is rated much higher than its opponent.
This will be the first time Brest and Bayer Leverkusen have faced each other. In their last meeting with a French opponent in European competition, Leverkusen beat Nice both home and away (Europa League).
Human resources situation
Brest will be without the services of Bradley Locko through injury, but they will welcome back defender Massadio Haidara, who missed the weekend's game against Rennes through suspension.
On the other side of the front line, Wirtz was only fit enough to be on the bench last weekend. However, the German player is expected to be ready to start in the Champions League.
Expected lineup:
Brest: Bizot, Lala, Coulibaly, Chardonnet, Amavi, Magnetti, Fernandes, Camara, Del Castillo, Ajorque, Sima.
Bayer Leverkusen: Kovar, Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie, Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo, Terrier, Wirtz, Boniface.
The match between Brest and Bayer Leverkusen takes place at 23:45 on October 23 (Vietnam time).
