Brest bounding towards unlikely Champions League place

PARIS: While some of France’s biggest names struggle, unfashionable Brest are enjoying their best-ever season and are on course to crown it with qualification for the Champions League for the first time.

As Lyon lie in the botom half of Ligue 1 and Marseille struggle to keep up in the race for Europe, Brest have emerged as the closest challengers to leaders Paris Saint-germain.

Nobody in the Britany port city, situated on France’s far western tip in the rainy department of Finistere -- which translates as “End of the World” -- is imagining their local team can bridge the nine-point gap to PSG.

However, the fact that France will have four representatives in the expanded Champions League next season -- up from the current three -- may play into the hands of a club that has never before featured in Europe.

Brest come into this weekend’s trip to Lens siting six points ahead of fith-placed Nice and on a club-record run of 13 top-flight games without defeat.

They have conceded only five goals in that time, two of which came in a 2-2 draw at PSG, with Brest building their success on a solid defensive foundation.

The closest thing Brest have to a star player is midfielder Pierre Lees-melou, who scored their winning goal last weekend against Le Havre.

Thirty-year-old former Nice player Lees-melou, who had a season in the Premier League at Norwich City before joining Brest in 2022, was a target for Britany rivals Rennes in the January transfer window.

“For me, in his position, there is nobody like him in France. He could play anywhere and deserves to be capped,” said coach Eric Roy.

French League fixtures (times GMT) Saturday: Lorient vs Lyon (1600), Lens vs Brest (2000)

Sunday: PSG vs Reims (1200), Le Havre vs Toulouse, Metz vs Clermont, Strasbourg vs Monaco (all 1400), Lille vs Rennes (1605), Marseille vs Nantes (1945)