Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign has not been the smoothest so far, but they are safely through to the knockouts ahead of the final round of league phase matches. In a busy period of fixtures for home side, they could well look to rotate against Stade Brestois.
By Neel Shelat
Both sides bound for playoff round
Brest and Real Madrid will start the day in 13th and 16th place respectively, with enough points to be sure of a place within the top 24 at worst. However, both also have an outside shot at breaking into the top eight.
Even if Brest pull off an unlikely victory, they will need a few other results to go their way if they are to make up the five positions they need in the 36-team table. They should not be too bothered about where they finish because merely qualifying for the knockouts in their debut UEFA Champions League campaign has to be considered a resounding success. Furthermore, with sides like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain battling to just sneak into the top 24, a higher table position will not necessarily guarantee a favourable knockout draw.
Real Madrid will need to win big and hope that at least four other results go precisely their way if they are to skip the playoff round, so they will most likely have to prepare for a couple more games in mid-February.
Brest’s left back injury crisis
A lot has been made of the long-term injuries that a couple of Real Madrid’s key defenders are currently recovering from, but Brest are in an even worse position. They will be without four defenders and a more defensive-minded midfielder for this game.
Young left back Bradley Locko is the biggest miss, although he has been out with an Achilles tendon injury since the start of the season. French duo Jonas Martin and Julien Le Cardinal have accompanied him on the treatment table for the last couple of months, but the recent injuries to left backs Massadio Haïdara and Jordan Amavi have dealt the biggest blows to the squad.
Les Pirates have been forced to alternate between teenage defender Luck Zogbe and experienced winger Mathias Pereria-Lage on the left of their back four in recent matches, so it certainly is a potential weakness in their side.
A chance for Real Madrid’s backups to impress
Besides Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão, Real Madrid will be without the suspended Vinícius Júnior and injured Eduardo Camavinga for this match. Given the unlikelihood of a top-eight finish regardless of their result, Los Blancos might be best advised to rest some of their stars for this match.
Jude Bellingham, for one, certainly deserves a rest having started every single one of his side’s league and Champions League matches since September. The likes of Arda Güler, Endrick and Brahim Díaz will be raring to go if given a start, especially with the knowledge that they can get at the left side of Brest’s defence.
Prediction
Anything is possible in a relatively low-stakes encounter, but as ever, Real Madrid’s quality certainly makes them strong favourites.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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