With Paris Saint-Germain securing the French title, the competition heats up for the remaining Champions League spots in the last three rounds.
Monaco, a regular in the Champions League and a finalist 20 years ago, currently holds second place in the standings. They are closely followed by Brest, a club from Brittany that has never competed in Europe’s top club tournament.
Lille, sitting just one point behind Brest in fourth place, boasts a well-balanced squad led by Canada’s Jonathan David, who has scored 17 goals this season. Meanwhile, Nice, in fifth place, is still in contention, trailing Brest by five points.
The teams finishing second and third will join PSG in the Champions League group stage next season, while the fourth-place team will have to go through the qualifying rounds.
Fans can expect exciting matches if Brest qualifies, as coach Eric Roy’s attacking style has led to thrilling games this season. Brest’s recent victories, including a dramatic 5-4 win against Rennes, have been filled with excitement, showcasing their potential to compete at the highest level.
“After promoting the French league for the past few weeks,” Roy joked following the Rennes win, “I hope people are enjoying themselves watching on TV.” Roy has achieved an impressive rebuilding task.
When Roy took over midway through last season, Brest was in the relegation zone and ended up finishing 14th. Roy had been without a coaching job for 12 years before this opportunity.
Brest’s annual budget is one of the smallest in the league: 48 million euros ($51.5 million), far less than PSG’s massive 700 million euros ($750 million).
Winger Romain Del Castillo leads Brest with eight goals and eight assists, which pales in comparison to PSG striker Kylian Mbappé’s impressive stats of 26 goals and seven assists.
Roy’s team may lack star players, but they exhibit selfless teamwork in a tight-knit squad filled with hard-working players who have a close relationship with the fans.
After their victory at Rennes last Sunday, a Brest player grabbed a megaphone from the away section and led an impromptu singalong with the Brest fans, with Roy joining in.
This win secured a top-six finish. “It’s a great satisfaction for us, because last season we only stayed up with three matches left,” Roy said. “It’s pretty incredible, and you shouldn’t underestimate it. The players have been outstanding all season.”
