Brest vs Montpellier
French Ligue 1
Sunday
14th January 2024
Stade Francis-Le Ble
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the French Ligue 1 fixture between Brest and Montpellier.
Brest vs Montpellier: Preview
Brest form analysis
Les Pirates has been in good form recently, going undefeated in their last four league matches. In their most recent match, they beat local rivals Lorient convincingly by 4-0. Striker Kalifa Doumbia bagged an impressive hat-trick in the first half. The week before that, they managed to go to Nantes and come away with a 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Honore Magnetti and Steve Mounie. The clean sheet would have also pleased manager Eric Roy. 10 days prior, Brest scraped past Metz 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Jeremy Le Douaron.
The only blemish in their recent run was the 1-1 home draw against Strasbourg. They missed the chance to hold onto a 1-0 lead given to them by Le Douaron when Kevin Gameiro equalized late in the second half. Overall though, Brest seems to be finding their scoring boots, keeping it tight at the back, beating teams around them in the league, and gradually climbing up the Ligue 1 table. The form of Kalifa Doumbia, Jeremy Le Douaron and the defense has been particularly promising. If they can maintain this level, they could continue their push up the standings in the second half of the season.
Montpellier form analysis
Montpellier’s recent form has been mediocre, with the team struggling to string together consistent performances and results. In their last match before the winter break against Marseille, Montpellier missed the opportunity to hold onto a 1-0 lead given to them by Khalil Fayad when Jordan Veretout equalized in the second half to finish 1-1. The week before that, they scraped past Metz 1-0 courtesy of a Matheus Esteve goal but failed to build on a solid defensive display. Prior to that, Montpellier fired blanks in a goalless draw at home against Lens.
Their worst display came in a 2-0 loss away to high-flying Monaco, where the absence of arrhythmic heartbeat Teji Savanier seemed to severely impact their creativity. The only positive result came in a 1-1 home draw with Clermont where Savanier salvaged a point late on from the penalty spot after some uncharacteristically poor defending. In summary, Montpellier have lacked inspiration in attack, struggled defensively at times, dropped points from winning positions, and failed to string two good performances together. If they are to get their season back on track, shoring up at the back and getting Savanier fit and firing again seems key.
