• Competition: UEFA Champions League
• Date: Thursday, 19th, September 2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21.00 CEST
• Venue: Stade Francis-Le Ble (Brest)

In their first-ever Champions League appearance, Stade Brestois will face Austrian titleholders Sturm Graz at Stade Francis-Le Ble on Thursday evening.

Since their promotion to Ligue 1 seven years ago, Stade Brestois have experienced several poor finishes in the lower part of the table, but last season they stunned everyone with their remarkable performance by finishing in third place, which earned them a direct berth to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history. Ahead of their European debut, Les Pirates are not bringing in good momentum, as their start to the top-flight season has not been as promising as they had hoped, after managing to pick up a meager three points from their opening four league matches, which is the same number of points as the first team below the danger line.

Unlike their French opponents, Sturm can boast more experience, as this will be their fourth appearance in Europe's top club competition, having dramatically ended Salzburg’s 10-year dominance last season and won their first Austrian Bundesliga title since 2011. Ahead of their first Champions League match in 24 years, Die Schwoaz are filled with confidence following a brilliant start to their domestic title defense, as they have put together a four-game winning streak since their opening 0-1 defeat against Rapid Vienna.

Brest vs Sturm Graz Betting Tips: BTTS

Since the draw was unkind to Brest by assigning them Barcelona and the Spanish and German champions Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen as rivals in the UCL league phase, the French team will seek a flying start on their debut, but the Austrian champions possess all the tools to provide an answer, so we expect a lively and action-filled clash at Francis-Le Ble. Brest’s poor start to the Ligue 1 season, marked by three defeats in their first four games, can be attributed largely to their defense, which has conceded 10 goals, including three goals on the weekend when they relinquished an early advantage and lost 1-3 to PSG at Parc des Princes. 

If anyone is capable of further exposing Brest’s typically vulnerable backline, it is certainly Sturm Graz, who are operating at full throttle before their trip to France, having build a six-game winning run across all competitions and netted an imposing 17 goals in that span. Although it is fair to say that the Austrian titleholders have not been exuding defensive solidity lately, with each of their last four matches ending with no clean sheets, this is another reason why we expect both Brest and Sturm to find the back of the net with ease. Knowing they face a hellish schedule ahead in the Champions League, both teams will view the Thursday encounter as an ideal opportunity to grab essential points early on, so we anticipate an exciting game that will likely end with goals on both nets.