Two high-flying Ligue 1 outfits will seek to get back on track after recent defeats this weekend, as Monaco do battle with Brest at the Stade Louis II.
Adi Hutter's men were bested 2-0 by Lille in their last top-flight outing, while Les Pirates' efforts against Paris Saint-Germain were in vain as they slumped to a 3-2 defeat.
Match preview
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A first-half crossing masterclass from Lille and Kosovo winger Edon Zhegrova proved the difference when Les Dogues took on Monaco at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy last weekend, where Les Monegasques' three-game winning run came to an abrupt end.
Marseille, Reims and Metz had all bowed to Monaco's superiority either side of the October international break, but a pair of Zhegrova deliveries were on the money for Ivan Cavaleiro and Bafode Diakite to finish past Monegasques number one Philipp Kohn.
By virtue of their second defeat of the Ligue 1 season - their first came at home to surprise leaders Nice on September 22 - Monaco were denied the opportunity to enter gameweek 11 at the top of the rankings, slipping to third place behind Les Aiglons and Paris Saint-Germain.
Nevertheless, with 20 points to show from his opening 10 games in the French top flight, Hutter boasts Monaco's best managerial record at this stage of his career since 2013, when Claudio Ranieri collected 22 points from his first 30 on offer en route to a second-placed finish.
A six-game streak without a clean sheet may cause some concern within the Monaco ranks, but four wins from five home games in the 2023-24 campaign is the joint-best record of its kind in France - only recent conquerors Lille have performed as well on their own patch.
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It was all doom and gloom for the Brest faithful in the opening 30 minutes of their tie with reigning champions PSG last week, as a Warren Zaire-Emery thunderbolt and Kylian Mbappe near-post finish propelled Luis Enrique's men into a two-goal lead early doors.
However, Les Pirates were not waving the white flag and remarkably drew level via the heads of Steve Mounie and Jeremy Le Douaron, only to be undone by an 89th-minute rebound by Mbappe after Marco Bizot had saved his initial spot kick.
Eric Roy's side could and certainly should have taken the positives from that gut-wrenching defeat, but the overall picture is looking much more bleak for Brest, who only took two points from their four fixtures in October and have slipped to sixth in the rankings as a result.
To even be in the European conversation is an achievement in itself for Les Pirates, but the visitors now run the risk of losing three successive Ligue 1 fixtures for the first time since February, where Monaco were coincidentally one of the teams to overcome them.
That 2-1 win at the Stade Francis Le-Ble marked Monaco's third success on the bounce versus Brest, and a new page of club history could now be written for Les Monegasques, who have never won four Ligue 1 games on the trot against Les Pirates.
Team News
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Monaco have made a rare autumnal acquisition ahead of Sunday's game, as 19-year-old left-back Kassoum Ouattara has joined on a long-term deal from Amiens to cover for the injured Caio Henrique (ACL) and Vanderson (knee).
Ismail Jakobs should hold down the fort at left-back for now, though, while Mohammed Salisu (groin), Guillermo Maripan (ankle) and Soungoutou Magassa (ankle) are also in the care of the Monaco doctors.
In response to his side's frustrating first half against Lille, Hutter withdrew Folarin Balogun and Takumi Minamino during the half-time interval, potentially opening the door for Myron Boadu to stake his claim for regular starts this weekend.
Meanwhile, Brest did not see any fresh fitness concerns arise from their loss to PSG, meaning that calf victim Adrien Lebeau - who could aim for a return after the international break - should be their only absentee.
It would be a surprise to see Roy sanction any alterations to the XI that gave PSG an excellent run for their money last time out, although Jonas Martin and Mathias Pereira Lage are competent options for change.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Kohn; Diatta, Singo, Matsima, Jakobs; Minamino, Camara, Fofana, Golovin; Balogun, Ben Yedder
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Brassier, Locko; Camara, Lees-Melou, Magnetti; Del Castillo, Mounie, Le Douaron
We say: Monaco 2-1 Brest
An injury-hit Monaco backline could be there for the taking this weekend, and having come so close yet so far to stealing a point off of PSG, Brest can feel confident of troubling Monaco in a similar vein.
However, any similar defensive lapses akin to the opening 30 minutes against the champions could prove fatal for Les Pirates, who will likely struggle to fight Monaco's fire with as much fire in a third successive defeat.
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