Brest take on Metz in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with the hosts looking to bounce back after three successive defeats.
Metz, meanwhile, have climbed to eighth in the table after an unbeaten run of four matches.
Match preview
© Reuters
There was certainly no shame in losing to sides competing in this season's Champions League in the shape of Paris Saint-Germain and Rennes in recent weeks, but the 1-0 defeat to Reims last weekend would likely have concerned Olivier Dall'Oglio.
Indeed, Brest failed to muster a single shot on target across the 90 minutes, although Reims only had two themselves in a quiet match for both goalkeepers.
Reims took the lead after 40 minutes in comical fashion, with Xavier Chavalerin's powerful left-footed strike from distance hitting Nathanael Mbuku square in the face and diverting into the back of the net.
The lack of response from Brest was staggering, with Dall'Oglio's side unlikely to find creating chances any easier on Sunday against a defensively resolute Metz side.
© Reuters
Indeed, while the long-term injury to Ibrahima Niane continues to deprive Metz of a consistent goalscorer, five clean sheets in their last seven matches has helped propel them back into a top-half position.
Frederic Antonetti has instilled serious defensive discipline into the club, with their record of conceding only 18 goals in 21 matches only bettered by the divison's top two sides in PSG and Lille.
After stunning Lyon 1-0 in their previous match, Metz took on Nantes full of confidence, and so it proved with a solid 2-0 victory. Aaron Leya Iseka rewarded Antonetti's faith with his fourth goal in only six starts this season, with Farid Boulaya wrapping up the three points with a goal in injury time after Nantes had failed to test Alexandre Oukidja all match.
Metz now sit only one point behind sixth-placed Marseille in the table, so may have their sights on competing in European football for the first time since losing to West Ham United in the Intertoto Cup in 1999.
Brest Ligue 1 form: DLWLLL
Metz Ligue 1 form: WLDDWW
Team News
© Reuters
Brest will be without Cristian Battocchio due to illness, with Denys Bain's ACL injury keeping him out until at least March.
Dall'Oglio may shake things up in offensive areas, with Irvin Cardona an option to come into the side.
Metz's progress has been made all the more impressive by the amount of absentees they have, with Habib Maiga, Thomas Delaine, Vincent Pajot, Opa Nguette, Kevin N'Doram, Manuel Cabit and Niane all unavailable to travel to Brest.
With his options limited, Antonetti is unlikely to change anything from the side which comfortably dispatched Nantes last weekend.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Larsonneur; Pierre-Gabriel, Chardonnet, Herelle, Perraud; Honorat, Belkebla, Lasne, Cardona; Mounie, Faivre
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Bronn, Kouyate, Boye; Centonze, Angban, Sarr, Udol; Boulaya; Leya, Goncalves
We say: Brest 1-1 Metz
Brest do have the firepower to score past Metz, so we can see a share of the spoils in what should be a fairly even encounter.
Metz will look to hit the hosts on the break, so if they can score first they will be a tough nut to crack.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Brest win with a probability of 41.03%. A win for Metz had a probability of 32.18% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Brest win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.94%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.58%) and 2-0 (7.38%). The likeliest Metz win was 0-1 (9.43%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.72%). The actual scoreline of 2-4 was predicted with a 0.6% likelihood.
