French side Brest make their Champions League debut on Thursday evening when they host Austrian outfit Sturm Graz at Stade Francis-Le Ble.

After a stunning 2023/24 campaign which saw them finish third in Ligue 1 and qualify for a European competition for the first time, Brest begin their Champions League adventure with a favourable home fixture.

However, Brest kicked off the 2024/25 season with a 5-1 loss to Marseille and have followed that up with 2-0 and 3-1 defeats at the hands of Lens and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. Bar a 4-0 win over newly-promoted Saint-Etienne, it’s been an extremely tough beginning for the Pirates.

Things have been rather different for Sturm Graz at the start of the new season. The defending Austrian Bundesliga champions have won their last five outings in all competitions and currently top the league table.

Here is 90min’s guide to Brest vs Sturm Graz.

Location: Brest, France
Stadium: Stade Francis-Le Ble
Date: Thursday 19 September
Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
Referee: Nicolas Walsh (SCO)
VAR: David Coote (ENG)

Brest vs Sturm Graz H2H Record

Brest and Sturm Graz have never played one another in a competitive fixture.

Current form (all competitions)

Brest are missing several players for their maiden Champions League encounter, with Romain Faivre, Pierre Lees-Melou and Bradley Locko all sidelined with injuries. The latter will be missing until 2025 after suffering an Achilles issue.

Brest still have plenty of quality across their side and can rely on 6’5 Ludovic Ajorque up front for goals. On loan from Mainz, he will be supported in attack by Abdallah Sima, who is on loan from Brighton and sparkled at Rangers last term.

Brest predicted lineup vs Sturm Graz (4-3-3): Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Le Cardinal, Haidara; Camara, Fernandes, Magnetti; Del Castillo, Ajorque, Sima.

Sturm Graz are making their return to the Champions League for the first time in over two decades, with the Austrian side having never reached the knockout stage of the competition. Christian Ilzer will have his work cut out to remedy that this season.

Summer signing Mika Biereth will lead the line midweek after joining from Arsenal and the young striker has already produced three goals and an assist in the league this season. Brest will need to keep him, attacking midfielder Otar Kiteishvili and deep-lying playmaker Tomi Horvat quiet if they want their first European victory.

Sturm Graz predicted lineup vs Brest (4-3-1-2): Scherpen; Johnston, Aiwu, Lavalee, Gazibegovic; Horvat, Gorenc-Stankovic, Kiteishvili; Zvonarek; Biereth, Grgic.

With both sides lacking Champions League experience, it’s tough to predict what kind of encounter we will witness for the first ever meeting between the teams. In all honesty, it’s likely to be a cagey affair that both are desperate not to lose.

However, Brest’s superior quality – especially in attack – and home advantage could lead them to a narrow win, with their poor recent form easily explained by fixtures up against some of Ligue 1’s strongest sides.

Prediction: Brest 2-1 Sturm Graz

READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE