Preview: Roy, Brest look to bounce back against Auxerre
Back in European contention?
Brest may have struggled in Europe of late, injuries and fixture congestion taking their toll in losses to Real Madrid in the league phase and Paris Saint-Germain being their two most recent results, but in Ligue 1 McDonald's, Les Pirates have rounded into form in impressive fashion. Winners of four of their last five, Brest have risen to eighth place, and only the capital side have picked up more points in the last five rounds of play.
A win would even see the hosts leapfrog Lyon and Lens, moving into sixth place, but despite this, Roy has been asked repeatedly about his status on the bench, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. He responded to this with a wry smile at yesterday's press conference, saying, "My future at Brest? At least until the end of the season, if I'm not fired before that. Then we'll see. Everything is possible in football; we talked (about an extension) once before the Christmas break. Since then we have been in the rhythm of the matches. We haven't spoken again since."
#SB29AJA 🎙 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗼𝘆 : "Auxerre, c'est un mauvais souvenir de début de saison. On avait perdu logiquement, mais le meilleur levier qu'on a, ce n'est pas d'être revanchard mais plutôt que de vouloir garder notre bonne dynamique en championnat. Notre objectif est d'obtenir… pic.twitter.com/6QdFLPMshJ
— Stade Brestois 29 (@SB29) February 13, 2025
For this encounter, Brest will perhaps have to do without Jonas Martin and Romain del Castillo, but should have a relatively first choice side as Roy will look for a win here, being three goals down in their tie and rotation unlikely. There will also be a measure of revenge, as Brest lost the reverse fixture in September, 3-0.
As for Auxerre, they will be ready to keep their scoring boots on -- they have found the net twice in each of their last two matches, but have taken only one point from those encounters, losing to AS Monaco and drawing against Toulouse. Still, though, with playmaker Gaëtan Perrin and Hamed Junior Traoré (nine goals) both dangerous assets, this match will likely provide an exciting start to the round's action.
The stat: 77
Éric Roy will take charge of his 77th match for Stade Brestois in the top flight -- a record for the club.
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