Toulouse vs Brest Predictions

• Brest have lost each of their last three matches with nine goals conceded in the process.
• Brest have lost each of their last six away games and have created the least chances of all Ligue 1 teams on the road this campaign.
• Toulouse have recently sacked manager Antoine Kombouaré and will be back at home where they had a pretty good record prior to the New Caledonian’s awful tenure; they had just four of the previous fifteen matches.

Toulouse looking for a new start post-Kombouaré

The Toulouse hierarchy took their rage out on manager Alain Casanova nine matches into the season after the Frenchman’s team had only garnered nine points, leaving them 18th. They sacked him in favour of Ligue 1 stalwart Antoine Kombouaré but the New Caledonia-born coach did an even worse job with Toulouse picking up just three points from the ten league games he took charge of, leaving them bottom. Unsurprisingly he has also been sacked with reserve coach Denis Zanko set to take charge of this match. 

Zanko has some managerial experience under his belt at Le Mans and Laval as well as the Toulouse second team but it is quite the task for the Frenchman. Les Violets won their first match under Kombouaré against Lille but following that is was ten defeats in eleven games with 29 goals conceded and eleven scored in return. Toulouse conceded the most chances in Ligue 1 during Kombouaré’s tenure and the team really look in need of a confidence boost, one which will be tough to come by as they host Brest.

Toulouse will get little to no help from their home support as they have picked up the second least points in front of their own fans this season and following their embarrassing 1-0 defeat to fourth tier Saint-Pryvé Saint-Hilaire FC, it is sure to be an uneasy crowd at the Stadium Municipal for this match. 

Brest in a similar boat to Toulouse

Brest are a pretty good team to face at the moment though with them currently on a run of three straight defeats. One of these losses came against Ligue 2 Lorient (1-2) with the other two seeing them concede seven away to Montpellier and Lyon. They are in quite a sticky situation at the moment and have been consistently sliding down the table in recent months with them currently sitting 15th. 

They have won just two of their last eleven matches with sixteen goals conceded and 13 scored in reply. However, five of their scored goals came in one freak match against Strasbourg, without that it is a rather pale eight in ten games. Much of les Ty’Zefs’ misfortune has come on the road this season with them losing each of their last six away days. Brest have created the least chances and conceded the second most chances in Ligue 1 away from home this campaign and that could make good reading for a Toulouse side desperate for a win. 

A tight basement battle on the cards?

These teams drew 1-1 when they met on the first day of the season and while a lot has happened since then, we’re edging this match in favour of the hosts. Before Kombouaré’s torrential reign at the club, Toulouse’s home form was actually pretty solid with just four defeats in the previous fifteen matches at the Stadium Municipal so this could be a pivotal factor for Zanko. Brest enter this game on an awful losing streak, especially away from home, and with Toulouse under a new manager, their players should have zip about them. 

Despite the awful defensive stats under Kombouaré, les Violets actually created the ninth most chances in Ligue 1 during the New Caledonian’s tenure and we think this could do some damage against Brest. The visitors have just one clean sheet on the road this season with 24 goals conceded in their 12 games so we’re backing this one to finish 2-1 to the hosts.