Paris Saint-Germain go for their first Ligue 1 win of the New Year as they play host to Brest on Saturday. The Parisians will once again be shorthanded between COVID outbreaks, the African Cup of Nations and injuries.
In spite of that, PSG is the heavy -475 soccer betting favorite. Brest has its work cut out to avoid going four matches without a win.
Game: Paris Saint-Germain F.C. vs Stade Brestois 29
Location: Parc des Princes, Paris, France
Date/Time: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET
| Team | Goal Line | Moneyline | Over/Under | Team Total |
| PSG | -2 (-110) | -475 | 3½ (-110o) | 2½ -140o/+110u |
| Brest | +2 (-120) | +1100 | 3½ (-120u) | ½ -140o/+110u |
| Draw | +600 |
PSG vs Brest Betting Preview
Head to Head
Paris Saint-Germain and Brest met in Matchweek 3. The Parisians put four goals per game on Brest and their 4-2 away win was their ninth straight vs. the Brittany club. Since 2010, PSG is 10-0-1 vs Brest.
PSG Roster Dilemma
Paris Saint Germain drew with Lyon 1-1 on the road in its last match. The home side took the lead within seven minutes and PSG didn’t find the net until 70 minutes later. Substitute defender Thilo Kehrer leveled the score and PSG came away with a point.
Concerningly, the Parisians have now drawn four times in their last five Ligue 1 matches. They still hold an 11-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table but haven’t been able to put it all together as of late. In fairness, Mauricio Pochettino had a very limited roster at his disposal last weekend, as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Danilo and Juan Bernat were out due to COVID-19.
Pochettino figures to have a limited roster once again as Neymar and attacking Julian Draxler are also recovering from injuries. Meanwhile, fullback Achraf Hakimi, right back Abdou Diallo and center midfielder Idrissa Gueye are all at the African Cup of Nations.
It’s unclear which of the players with COVID will recover in time for Saturday’s match, but Kylian Mbappe is more than capable of leading the attack himself. PSG has been one of the better soccer picks this season, but the recent lack of continuity has hurt them.
Inconsistency Becoming Theme for Brest
Brest started off the season winless in its first 11 matches before rattling off the most improbable win streak of the season. Les Pirates proceeded to win six consecutive matches and pick up their first three clean sheets of the season in the process.
Back down to earth, Brest is winless in its last three Ligue 1 matches and has been outscored 8-1 in that span. Last weekend, Nice defeated Brest 3-0 despite being a man down for the vast majority of the match.
To be fair, Brest was aggressive in its approach and managed 10 shots on target but was unable to find a breakthrough. Goalkeeper Marco Bizot has struggled at times, conceding six goals more than expected, according to post-shot expected goals.
Thankfully for manager Michel der Zakarian, Brest has only one player taking part in AFCON, Algeria midfielder Haris Belkebla. PSG will have to be careful as Brest does have goal threats in Franck Honorat and Jeremy Le Douaron.
Brest has been terribly inconsistent for betting odds but don’t forget it pulled off wins over Lens, Monaco and Marseille.
Prediction
Both teams to score have been up and down recently and PSG hasn’t scored more than two goals in a Ligue 1 match since the end of November.
Brest has been leaking goals recently and that’s a concerning sign vs. a team with as much offensive firepower as PSG, even if Messi and Neymar are both out. Even so, I like under 3½ goals in the sportsbook as I don’t see Brest getting many opportunities.
