Stade Brest, second (34 points) moves to Lens, fourth (28 points). A meeting that has everything a shock at the top of the League 2. And that could mark a turning point in the rest of the season, even if Jean-Marc Furlan does not take it like that. One thing is certain: the Brest coach expects to suffer in the North.

Do not talk to him about a chopper match or a turn. Jean-Marc Furlan said it again and again during a press conference: this meeting against Lens is not particularly important. "For me the important match was Ajaccio (win 2-0 last Friday) . And the next is against Beziers (December 14) . Let it be clear, " he said, punching the table.

The Brest technician approaches the Lensoise getaway as a bonus. A bonus that can pay big. Bringing nine points to a direct competitor (Brest is second with 34 points, Lens fourth with 28 points), it is not every day that such an opportunity arises. "Seen in this light, yes it's important ..." conceded the Girondin. And when we know that Lensois are struggling right now (two draws and three defeats in the last five league games) ... The "Blood and Gold" must also face a cascade of wounded.

Read too. The Stade Brestois group to face Lens

Philippe Montanier: "Brest has a small advantage"

Central defender Aleksandar Radovanovic has come close against Lorient and will not play again this season. "A huge blow , " for Philippe Montanier, Lens coach, plus the left side injury Fabien Centonze.

Lens is also a successful land in Brest de Furlan. Since he arrived, the Brestois have won their two meetings in Bollaert (0-2 in 2016/2017, 2-4 in 2017/2018). Not enough to excite Jean-Marc Furlan: "It's not an advantage. We will be expected with Kalashnikovs (laughs) , precisely because we have been there for 2 years. I think it's better to go when you've lost 3 or 4 times. I think we're really going to be shaken. "

And to return to the relative importance of the meeting: "You build a project, you can lose several times. It's not a match that puts us under any pressure, not at all. For Philippe Montanier, this famous Brest project is an asset. "Brest has a small advantage over us: three seasons of working together with the coach and his team, explained the Lens coach. This team is full of control, very experienced and efficient. "

A way to present the Stade Brestois as the favorite of the meeting. A label immediately rejected, implicitly, by Jean-Marc Furlan. "We are going to meet a team that will make a very big match. In my opinion, it will be very complicated for us, he said. It will be interesting to see the abilities of my team to hold, to resist, to be supportive. "

"To turn the public against them, it would not hurt ..."

Impervious since two games (0 goal against Orleans and Ajaccio), the Brest defense will be put to the test tonight. Because Lens displays the third best attack of the championship and has in its ranks Yannick Gomis. The Senegalese striker has scored nine times this season (third best scorer in Ligue 2) and allowed the Nordiques to leave Lorient with a point last Friday (2-2).

And when Jean-Marc Furlan praises the "exceptional public" Lensois, Mathias Autret hopes to use it. "If we can create opportunities and put some pressure on them, the more time will pass, the more they will be in difficulty," said the former resident of Bollaert from 2015 to 2017. The public will grow. Trying to turn it against them would not hurt ... "

Probable teams

LENS: Leca - Mendy, Tahrat, Sagnan, Haidara - Ba, Doucoure - Gomis, Mesloub (cape), Ambrose - Kyei. Alternates: Vachoux (g), Tka, Bellegarde, Diarra, Bayala, Chouiar, Bencharki. Absent: Gillet (calf), Duverne (knee, recovery), Radovanovic (knee), Centonze (ischios). Coach: Philippe Montanier.

BREST: Larsonneur - Belaud (Cape), Castelletto, Weber, Bernard - Belkebla, Ayasse - Faussurier (or Mayi), Autret, Court - Charbonnier. Substitute: Leon (g), Chardonnet, Henry, Jacob, N'Goma, Mayi (or Fawler), Swag. Absent: Pi (pubis), Buon, Magnetti, Diallo, Kiki, Fabri, Magnon (choice). Coach: Jean-Marc Furlan.