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Brest v Leverkusen
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Kick Off: Wednesday 23rd October at 17:45
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Competition: UEFA Champions League
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Watch Live: TNT Sports 3
Brest continues their maiden Champions League voyage with a high-profile test against Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen on Wednesday evening when both teams will put perfect starts on the line at the Stade du Roudourou.
⭐ Brest v Leverkusen Best Bets
French outfit Brest impressed in their victories over Austrian duo Sturm Graz (2-1) and RB Salzburg (4-0) on matchdays one and two in the Champions League and while toppling Bayer Leverkusen should prove trickier, Les Pirates could give the Germans a run for their money.
Die Werkself have lost just once in ten assignments in all competitions this term, however, they haven’t been watertight defensively and seven of those matches featured goals at both ends.
Brest (4.10) have accumulated more in xGF than Leverkusen (3.50) in the Champions League Group Stage so far and their pacey frontline can be a nuisance here, even if Leverkusen’s superior class eventually tells. A stake on both teams to score is the favoured approach for this one
👕 Brest v Leverkusen Predicted XI
🔍 Brest v Leverkusen Players to Watch
⚫️ Florian Wirtz
Wonderkid Florian Wirtz was kept in reserve and played just 26 minutes as a substitute in Leverkusen’s Bundesliga fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend, so expect the attacking midfielder to be full of energy and at his impactful best in France.
Wirtz has been averaging 1.70 shots on target per 90 minutes in the Champions League this season and the 21-year-old bagged a brace in Leverkusen’s last away fixture in the competition at Feyenoord. In total, Wirtz has aimed 75% of his efforts in the UCL on target, so bank on his accuracy coming up trumps in the shots on target market again.
🔴 Mahdi Camara
Midfielder Mahdi Camara is routinely involved in ground duels for Brest and the 26-year-old has committed at least one foul in seven of his last eight appearances in all competitions for Les Pirates, while drawing at least one in the other direction in a further seven of the same games.
Camara committed a bone-bruising five fouls in Brest’s last Champions League fixture in France against Sturm Graz and he should bring the same competitive edge to proceedings against Leverkusen, making him a very attractive prospect in the 1+ fouls bracket.
📂 Brest v Leverkusen Cheat Sheet
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Not only that, but we also have a selection of both teams to score tips, along with player prop market predictions to fold into bet builders, like our card betting tips, player shots on target tips, fouls betting tips, and anytime goalscorer tips.
💻 Brest v Leverkusen Form and Tactics
Brest achieved their highest Ligue 1 finish in 121 years last season to qualify for the Champions League and Les Pirates have brought a surprise factor to the competition so far, winning twice on the bounce while scoring a healthy six goals along the way.
Setting themselves up in a 4-3-3 formation, the French minnows have been averaging 52.5% possession per game so far, though they have attempted more long balls (191) than anyone else, so expect them to be just as direct against Leverkusen.
Four-goal striker Abdallah Sima has been the star of the show so far, though the 23-year-old is set to sit out Wednesday’s game with a hamstring issue, which is a blow to Brest’s chances.
Interestingly, Brest have been the most-fouled team in the UCL so far (19.50 p/90) and the running power in the final third can unsettle defenders. Head Coach Eric Roy likes to keep his frontline purring and he replaced his entire front three with fresh-legged subs in each of Brest’s first two Champions League matches.
Bayer Leverkusen meanwhile, have won five and drawn two of their last seven fixtures in all competitions and UCL victories over Feyenoord (4-0) and AC Milan (1-0) were nestled inside that surge.
Leverkusen’s match-winner against Milan, Victor Boniface, has scored six times in his last seven appearances for the Germans, though it’s unclear whether the Nigerian will feature in France after he was involved in a car crash on Saturday night
Die Werkself have been playing with admirable control on the continent and they rank first for the accuracy of their attempted short passes (94.9%).
Leverkusen have been clinical in attack and despite sitting way down the list for average touches in the opponent’s box (22.0 p/90), they have one of the tournament’s best figures for accuracy, getting 48.1% of their 27 shots on target so far.
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🏁 Brest v Leverkusen Ref Watch
- Referee: Ivan Kruzliak
- Ivan Kruzliak brandished seven yellow cards when he last took charge of a UCL fixture (Atletico Madrid vs RB Leipzig, September 19th).
- The Slovakian officiated over Leverkusen’s Europa League quarter-final against Union Saint Gilloise last year and produced four yellow cards in that contest.
- The 40-year-old has been brandishing an average of 5.09 cards per game in all competitions since the summer.
Football Predictions at Andy’s Bet Club
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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
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