BARCELONA will meet French side Brest for the first time ever on Tuesday and both will start Matchday 5 of the Champions League inside the top eight. Who will come out on top in this intriguing clash at the Nou Camp on November 26th?
How the bookies view it: Barcelona expected favourites.
Barcelona are big heavyweight favourites at the bookmakers to collect the win. The Spanish side are 1/7 odds-on to bank three points, which would move them two clear of their opponents in the standings. Brest, who have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament, are 16/1 underdogs.
Recent head-to-head: First-Ever Meeting
The two clubs will meet for the first time competitively on Tuesday night. Barcelona however have lost their last two games against French opposition. On the flip side, they are unbeaten in their last 20 when meeting a team for the first time in Europe (W17 D3).
Players to watch: Can Ajorque influence Brest?
Barcelona are the top scorers in this season’s Champions League and they have both Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski as joint top-scorers with five goals each. Raphinha has averaged 3.75 attempts per game in this season’s competition and the Brazilian has been highly influential for Barca during this campaign. He has been involved in 11 goals (8 scored, 3 assists) in Champions League matches in the 2024 calendar year.
Brest don’t have the scoring power of their illustrious opponents and are in for an intimidating night at the Nou Camp. But the one to watch for them is Ludovic Ajorque who has produced a joint second-highest tally of Champions League assists this season with three. In terms of sticking the ball in the net, Sima is their top scorer with three goals in three appearances, but is an injury doubt.
Predicted Lineups
As mentioned, Brest will keep an eye on Abdallah Sima because of a muscle issue and he isn’t guaranteed to start or even appear. They will wait on Pierre Lees-Melou who took a knock on the weekend too. Barcelona still have a long injury list they are contending with including Ansu Fati, Eric Garcia and Ferran Torres.
Barcelona: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Casado; Olmo, Pedri, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Brest: Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Le Cardinal, Amavi; Camara, Lees-Melou, Fernandes; Balde, Ajorque, Doumbia
Anything else catches the eye?
Barcelona’s last three Champions League wins have been by a margin of at least three goals, which could be a trend to consider among the betting options for this one. Along with their goals, they have the highest shot conversion rate in the tournament and also look for first-half goals from Barcelona. The Catalans have scored the most goals in this season’s competition (5) in the fifteen minutes before the break alone. If Lewandowski nets in this game, he will join only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on 100+ goals in the Champions League.
Brest, like Barcelona, are yet to lose in the Champions League this season, winning three of their four played. They have a long night ahead of them but have scored the joint most goals from outside the penalty box in this season’s Champions League. So they may look for quick counters and try their luck from a distance.
This UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Brest will be played on Nov 26, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Brest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
