Brest/PSG – Opponent preview: life after Eric Roy | OneFootball

This Sunday, September 13, Paris Saint-Germain (13th) face Brest (7th) at Stade Francis-Le Blé (kick-off at 8:45pm, broadcast on Ligue1+) on matchday 4 of Ligue 1 2026-2027. And as before every match, here is the presentation of the Parisians’ opponent.

Brest’s situation –

After 9 years away, Stade Brestois returned to Ligue 1 in the summer of 2019. They have stayed up since then, though not without a few difficult spells. There was an attempt with coach Michel Der Zakarian, but it did not work out and he was replaced by Eric Roy in January 2023.

The former pundit, after several years in that role, managed to keep the club up and keep his job. The 2023-2024 season was one of consecration and euphoria, with a run among the top places throughout the year, ending in 3rd place and qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.

But it proved difficult to keep that going. There was the immense joy of reaching the Champions League play-offs after a remarkable run, except PSG brought that journey to an end. And in Ligue 1, Brest finished in 9th place. That is not bad for this club, but it is less exciting than European qualification.

Last season, survival was secured relatively calmly despite rather disappointing results in the final weeks. Above all, the whole club and French football were affected by the death of coach Eric Roy at the beginning of the summer from cancer, which he had kept as secret as possible. Julien Lachuer, who had been his assistant, took over from the King. And for now, he is doing well, with 2 draws and 1 win.

The summer 2026 transfer window –

Source: Transfermarkt.

Departures:

Arrivals:

Main statistics –

This season, Brest are among the 3 best attacks in Ligue 1 with 6 goals scored (leaders Strasbourg have 8, and bottom side Nice have 1), and among the 5 best defenses with 5 goals conceded (leaders Monaco have 1, and bottom side Auxerre have 11).

Brest’s top scorer is Kamory Doumbia (23-year-old midfielder); with 4 goals, he is 1st in the league. Hugo Magnetti (28-year-old midfielder) is the club’s top assist provider with 1 assist, putting him among the joint 7th-best in Ligue 1 (the leaders have 2 assists).

Brest’s last 5 matches –

Only Brest’s possession is listed, and Brest’s shots are given first (when the data is available).

08/08/2026 (friendly) – Brest/Venezia: 2-2. In a 4-2-3-1.

16/08/2026 (friendly) – Notthingam Forrest/Brest : 2-0. In a 4-2-3-1.

22/08/2026 (Ligue 1) – Le Mans/Brest: 2-2. In a 4-2-3-1. 50% possession. 17 shots including 8 on target, compared to 8 shots (5 on target).

29/08/2026 (Ligue 1) – Brest/Toulouse: 2-2. In a 4-2-3-1. 50% possession. 23 shots including 7 on target, compared to 7 shots (3 on target).

05/09/2026 (Ligue 1) – Le Havre (down to 10 men at 45+2, 0-1)/Brest: 1-2.In a 4-1-4-1. 45% possession. 17 shots including 8 on target, compared to 15 shots (4 on target).

The squad:

Absent – Baldé, Cagnon, Chardonnet, Diambou, Diop, Edjouma, Sam (injury).

Probable team in a 4-2-3-1:

Ajorque

Mboup – Doumbia – Versini

Magnetti – Chotard

Locko – Loris – Le Guen – Lala

Selvik

Brest’s style of play.

Lachuer has stayed in line with last season, which is quite logical since the squad is fairly similar, with the idea of first defending well and then trying to hurt the opposition with quick attacks. That can also involve an intense press that is difficult to play through at times.

Then there is a fast-paced game that can do a lot of damage. The idea is not to keep possession for long. But this team knows how to push very high up the pitch. Especially with an Ajorque who drops deep well or can act as a target man for long balls. PSG will need to bring rhythm and intensity to avoid the trap against a team that could be motivated by this match as a way to get back to something positive. But we have also seen that Brest can crack at the moment.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.