Monaco v Brest
Despite recent setbacks with losses to Nice and Angers that dented their Ligue 1 title hopes, second-placed Monaco has shown resilience in their last two matches. They followed up a UEFA Champions League victory over Bologna with an impressive 3-1 win at Strasbourg. These defeats left Adi Hütter’s side six points adrift of league leaders PSG, but a positive result against Brest could help narrow the gap, at least temporarily.
Monaco's triumph over Strasbourg was marked by a late flurry, with three goals scored in the final 11 minutes of regular time. This late-game prowess has become a hallmark of their season. In addition to scoring late against Bologna, seven of their 18 league goals have come in the last 15 minutes—a Ligue 1 high.
Brest, meanwhile, travels to Monaco amid a patchy run of form, with their last five matches across all competitions producing varied results (W2, D1, L2). However, both wins in that span were on the road, giving Brest some hope of pulling off an upset and extending the three-point cushion they hold above the relegation zone.
To do so, Brest must overcome Monaco's dominance in recent head-to-head encounters, having lost the last five meetings. The Pirates have scored only once in the last four of these clashes, and with just 126 shots taken this season—among the lowest in Ligue 1—the odds seem stacked against them as they face the league’s stingiest defense (GA: 8).
Players to watch:
Monaco’s Takumi Minamino, who scored a brace at home last month and recently found the net for Japan against Indonesia, also scored in the last meeting between these teams (2-0). For Brest, Ludovic Ajorque has tallied five career goals against Monaco, his joint-best against any opponent, though his teams failed to win his last two scoring appearances in this fixture (D1, L1).
Hot stat: Monaco (16) and Brest (14) are Ligue 1’s second and third-highest scorers from set pieces this season.

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