An all-but-mathematically-relegated Bordeaux side head North to Brittany to take on Brest as Ligue 1 enters its final round of games on Saturday evening.
Les Girondins go to the Stade Francis-Le Ble knowing that even three points will almost certainly not save them from a shocking relegation.
Match preview
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Les Pirates may be marooned in mid-table mediocrity, but Brest have put together a campaign which they can be fairly proud of and are now enjoying a stroll to the finish line.
That stroll looked briefly to be going at a pretty impressive pace last time out as first-half goals from Jean-Kevin Duverne and Youcef Belaili gave them a 2-0 lead over Monaco.
Les Monegasques' main man Wissam Ben Yedder pulled one back from the spot just before half time, though, and then grabbed two more in the first 10 minutes of the second period for a quick-fire hat-trick, before Kevin Volland made it 4-2 in the 70th minute.
Whilst the manner of the defeat was disappointing, it was perhaps understandable considering how much more the opposition had to play for, and there were certainly signs of the bright sparks that have lit up this season for Michel Der Zakarian and his side.
This final match will decide whether they finish 11th or 12th in the table, but either way it will be their highest season-ending position since returning to the top tier in 2019.
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This, on the other hand, is guaranteed to be Bordeaux's lowest finish in decades.
A win here could move them up to 19th with some help elsewhere but is almost definitely not going to be enough for the 18th place that would give them a shot at safety.
Les Girondins enter the final game rock bottom, three points behind Metz and Saint-Etienne, who are tied - in 18th and 19th respectively - on 31 points.
That is three more than Bordeaux have and whilst the six-goal swing in goal difference required to overhaul Les Verts is a possibility, the 12-goal swing to catch Les Grenats is surely a step too far.
Relegation will see David Guion's side drop to the second tier for the first time in 30 years but, with 89 goals conceded so far this season, it is hard to argue that they do not deserve to go down.
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Team News
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Der Zakarian does not have too many fitness worries to worry about before this clash, with his absences looking limited to defender Julien Faussurier and goalkeeper Sebastien Cibois, who are suffering with finger and Achilles troubles respectively.
Franck Honorat is also a doubt with a tendon issue but Les Pirates will definitely have Romain Del Castillo back, having served the second half of his two-game suspension last time out.
The hosts will likely line up in a 4-4-2 formation for this game, with Martin Satriano and Irvin Cardona leading the line, as the former looks to rediscover the killer form he initially showed upon arriving in France.
Bordeaux manager Guion has a bit more to contend with, such as Timothee Pembele having joined Alberth Elis in picking up a potentially long-term injury.
There are other doubts, such as Mbaye Niang and Benoit Costil, but one man certainly missing out will be Gideon Mensah who picked up a red card in the previous game.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Pierre-Gabriel, Herelle, Brassier, Duverne; Del Castillo, Lasne, Belkebla, Belaili; Cardona, Satriano
Bordeaux possible starting lineup:
Poussin; Ahmedhodzic, Guilavogui, Marcelo; Mangas, Fransergio, Onana, Doumbia; Oudin, Hwang, Dilrosun
We say: Brest 1-1 Bordeaux
Brest may have little left to play for but, realistically, that is also the case for Bordeaux. They will likely give it their all either way but Les Girondins simply have not been good enough this season and we do not expect them to end the campaign on a high so are backing a score draw.
For additional data used by our team to analyse our suggested result please click here.
Top tip
James Mackenzie
