Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Olympique Marseille will be aiming to build on back-to-back wins over Troyes and Nantes when they take on Brest at Stade Velodrome in the Ligue 1 round 17. OM are eager to stay in the title race, and, no doubt, they are brimming with confidence ahead of Saturday’s clash. Experienced forward Dimitri Payet continues to lead the line for the hosts, while Cengiz Under remains in the recovery room.
Les Pirates, on the other hand, look unstoppable at the moment, with the team winning each of their last five league fixtures. The visitors aim to give fans yet another reason for celebration, but they will have a mountain to climb at Stade Velodrome. Since Marseille do not suit Brest, we predict that the visitors are going to return home empty-handed. All Denys Bain, Sebastien Cibois, and Paul Lasne should miss out with injuries.
Highlighted Player (Kevin Strootman):
After starting his senior career at Sparta Rotterdam, Kevin Strootman joined fellow Dutch side Utrecht in 2011. The defensive midfielder, who was born on February 13, 1990 in Ridderkerk, Netherlands, then moved to PSV where he established himself as a first-team regular. Strootman was then spotted by AS Roma scouts and in 2013 he decided to take a step forward in his career by joining the Giallorossi.
On March 9, 2014, the Dutch footballer sustained a serious knee injury that made him miss the remainder of the 2013/2014 Serie A season. He missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well, but he returned to contention on November 9, 2014. Kevin Strootman played for Roma until August 28 when he signed a five-year contract with Olympique Marseille.
Speaking of his international career, Strootman made his Netherlands debut against Austria in 2011 and he scored his first ever goal for the Dutch national team in Euro 2012 qualifier against Finland. Kevin Strootman’s preferred foot is right.
Highlighted Team (Brest):
Founded in 1950, Brest (Stade Brestois) are a French football club that compete in the Ligue 1. La Team Pirate welcome their opponents at Stade Francis-Le Ble, the venue which was opened back in 1922. The capacity of the stadium is 15,931, but on August 8, 1986 21,619 watched the game between Brest and Olympique Marseille.
The club’s home colours are red and white, with the team wearing black kit when playing on the travels. Brest’s third kit is white. La Team Pirate, who made it to the French Cup on two occasions (1982/83 and 2014/15), have rivalries with fellow clubs from Bretagne: Rennes, Lorient, Nantes, Guingamp and Vannes.
The likes of Bernard Lama Stephane Guivarch, Paul le Guen, David Ginola and Frank Ribbery are the most notable footballers who played for the club. Bayern Munchen legend Frank Ribery scored 3 goals in 35 appearances for Brest in the national championship.