Preview: Brest vs. Metz - prediction, team news, lineups

Brest will host Metz on Sunday with both sides still searching for their first victory of the season.

Ahead of the weekend's fixtures, the home side currently sit in the relegation playoff place having only collected four points, while Metz are rooted to the bottom of the table and have only picked up three points this term.

Match preview

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Brest face another battle against the drop this campaign after they avoided the relegation playoff last season by a single point.

They are still yet to win this term and they suffered their third loss of the campaign on Wednesday when they travelled to Nantes.

Unfortunately for Les Pirates they were 3-0 down after 58 minutes and the only positive of the encounter was that Jeremy Le Douaron was able to get a consolation goal to restore some respectability to the scoreline.

Head coach Michel Der Zakarian took over in the summer and he will be aware that if he does not pick up his first victory soon, then his position may come under threat.

The area that Der Zakarian needs to improve is the Brest defence, which has shipped in 14 goals this season and they are yet to achieve a clean sheet this term.

A positive for the hosts is that they have shown quality in the final third and have scored in every match this season and they will be confident of extending that run on Sunday when they face a side a point worse off than themselves.

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Metz are bottom heading into the weekend and have work to do if they are to replicate last season's mid-table finish as they are yet to collect three points this term.

Their season got off to a steady start as they drew three of their first four Ligue 1 games, however they then experienced three successive defeats, which means they enter the fixture low on confidence.

Although, they can take positives from their 2-1 defeat at home to Paris Saint-Germain during the week, as PSG required a stoppage-time winner from Achraf Hakimi after Boubakar Kouyate had cancelled out Hakimi's opener.

Like Sunday's opponents, Metz have struggled to keep the ball out of their net, conceding 15 times across their opening seven fixtures and another worry for head coach Frederic Antonetti is his side have scored just once in their last three matches.

A crumb of comfort for Metz is that they were victorious on their last visit to Brest, winning a thrilling encounter 4-2 and a similar result at the weekend would give the visitors their first victory of the season

Team News

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Brest will be without Jere Uronen and Romain Del Castillo, who have ankle and groin problems respectively.

Der Zakarian is also still without Paul Lasne, Christophe Herelle and Sebastien Cibois, who are all out injured.

Steve Mounie returned from injury during the week to feature as a second-half substitute against Nantes and the 26-year-old is likely to come into the starting lineup for Sunday.

Metz are without the injured duo of Kevin N'Doram and Thomas Delaine.

Dylan Bronn was sent off against PSG after collecting two yellow cards in the second half.

That suspension means that Antonetti could bring Sikou Niakate in to start the game on Sunday.

Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Pierre-Gabriel, Chardonnet, Brassier, Duverne; Belkebla, Agoume, Faivre; Honorat, Cardona, Mounie

Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Niakate, Kouyate, Udol; Centonze, Sarr, Pajot, Maiga, Yade; Gueye, Niane

We say: Brest 3-2 Metz

Both sides have found defending difficult this term and that could mean goals galore in this contest and we think with home advantage Brest should win this one against a side who have lost their last three games.