Brest vs Bayer Leverkusen predictions: French fancied to score against leaky Leverkusen
- Debutants Brest are second in the table after a 2-1 victory over Sturm Graz and a 4-0 win against Red Bull Salzburg
- Bayer Leverkusen are fourth, having beaten both Feyenoord and AC Milan
- Recommended bet: Bayer Leverkusen to win and both teams to score
Brest have adapted to the difficult waters of the Champions League with some ease, defeating two teams from Austria, but this represents a step up in class.
Bayer Leverkusen have been somewhat sloppy in their defence of their Bundesliga title, saving their most clinical form for the Champions League, where they won 4-0 at Feyenoord and beat AC Milan 1-0 at home.
Team news
Brest will be without their injured defenders Julien Le Cardinal and Bradley Locko, while forward Abdallah Sima missed Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Rennes with a hamstring problem.
The Brest coach Eric Roy will have his left-back Massadio Haidara back after a domestic suspension.
In-form striker Victor Boniface is a doubt for Leverkusen, after he was involved in a car crash on Saturday, following his winning goal in the 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, earlier that day.
The stats
Bayer Leverkusen are one of six teams in this season’s Champions League that have yet to concede a goal.
Brest are aiming to become the first French club to win their opening three games in the history of this competition.
Despite keeping clean sheets in the Champions League, Leverkusen have conceded in all seven of their Bundesliga outings this season.
Brest are unbeaten in their last five home matches across all competitions, winning four and drawing once.
Prediction
It’s been a dream start for Brest in the Champions League, but that applies just as much to the fixture list, as their results.
Back-to-back games against Austrian opposition hasn’t yet provided the French club with a real test, though that looks set to come with this game and upcoming matches against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Bayer Leverkusen have produced their best form this season in the Champions League, thrashing Feyenoord in what looked like a potentially difficult fixture and then beating European royalty in AC Milan.
They are fourth in the Bundesliga, with Xabi Alonso’s team twice dropping unexpected home points and conceding a total of 13 goals in just seven games.
Brest were ruthless in their win against Salzburg, scoring four times, despite having less possession and there’s every reason to think that they can grab a home goal against a Leverkusen side that have been leaky in their home league.
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