Salzburg vs Brest facts

Salzburg will look to bounce back from a heavy opening defeat as they welcome Brest, whose first European campaign got off to a winning start, on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League.

The Austrian side went down 3-0 at Sparta Praha on Matchday 1, when Brest were 2-1 winners at home to Sturm Graz, the side who ended Salzburg's long run of domestic dominance in 2023/24.

This is the first game between the clubs.

Form guide

Salzburg

Record vs French clubs: W5 D1 L4 F10 A9
Home record vs French clubs: W4 D0 L1

Salzburg's last games against Ligue 1 opponents came in the 2021/22 Champions League group stage, when they won 2-1 at home to LOSC Lille but lost 0-1 away.

That Matchday 2 success made it three successive victories at home to French visitors, the sole defeat a 0-1 reverse to Nice in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League group stage.

Having not featured in the Champions League group stage between 1994 and 2019, Salzburg are making their sixth successive appearance in the competition proper.

The Austrian side were fourth in Group D in 2023/24, picking up four points from six games (W1 D1 L4) in a section that also included Real Sociedad, Inter Milan and Benfica.

A 2-1 Matchday 5 loss to Chelsea in 2022/23 ended the Austrian club's seven-match unbeaten home run in the Champions League (W4 D3). A 1-3 reverse to Benfica on Matchday 6 last season made it four defeats in a row.

Salzburg started this season's Champions League campaign in the third qualifying round, beating Dutch side Twente 2-1 at home before a 3-3 away draw to progress 5-4 on aggregate. They then overcame Dynamo Kyiv in the play-offs, winning 3-1 over two legs (2-0 a, 1-1 h).

This season's win against Twente ended a run of three successive home European defeats for Salzburg, who had lost only one of the previous nine, winning six.

Having qualified automatically for the 2019/20 group stage, a 5-2 aggregate win against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the 2020/21 play-offs (2-1 a, 3-1 h) ended a run of 13 successive eliminations in Champions League qualifying since Salzburg's first group stage appearance in 1994/95.

Salzburg, who appointed Pep Lijnders as head coach in May, had their run of ten successive Austrian Bundesliga titles ended by Sturm Graz in 2023/24, finishing two points behind.

Brest

Record vs Austrian clubs: W1 D0 L0 F2 A1
Away record vs Austrian clubs: W0 D0 L0

This is Brest's first season in the Champions League; indeed, they have never before qualified for European competition.

Hugo Magnetti's 23rd-minute opener against Sturm on Matchday 1 was Brest's first European goal, with Abdallah Sima securing a debut win in the 56th minute.

Leipzig, in 2017, are the only previous club to have made their European debut in the Champions League proper, an honour Brest are sharing with Girona this season.

Éric Roy's side secured their place in the competition by finishing third in Ligue 1 in 2023/24 – the club's highest-ever final position. Their 61 points was also a club record.

Les Pirates are the 12th French club to play in the Champions League proper, and the first newcomers since Rennes in 2020/21.

Brest are one of five clubs to be making their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Bologna, Aston Villa, Girona and Slovan Bratislava.

Links and trivia

Have played in France:
Lucas Gourna-Douath (St-Étienne 2020–22)
Soumaïla Coulibaly (Paris Saint-Germain youth 2019–22)
Joane Gadou (Paris Saint-Germain youth 2023/24)

International team-mates:
Mamadi Diambou, Daouda Guindo, Dorgeles Nene & Kamory Doumbia, Massadio Haïdara (Mali)
Lucas Gourna-Douath & Soumaïla Coulibaly (France Under-16, U17, U20)

Latest news

Salzburg

On Saturday a goal in each half from Oscar Gloukh gave Salzburg a 2-0 home win against Austria Wien.

Salzburg were without a victory in four games (D2 W2) before a 4-0 Austrian Cup win at Wiener Viktoria on 25 September.

Salzburg's unbeaten start to the season was ended by a 3-2 loss at Rapid Wien on 1 September, starting their winless run. Their record in all competitions prior to that defeat was W6 D2.

Maurits Kjærgaard was taken off against Rapid with a ligament injury to his left ankle that is expected to keep him on the sidelines for up to eight weeks.

Aleksa Terzić has been sidelined by a hamstring injury since 17 September while Samson Baidoo has missed the last two games with a calf problem.

Daouda Guindo (metatarsal) and summer signing Takumu Kawamura (knee) are yet to play this season.

Brest

Brest's record in Ligue 1 this season is W2 L4, with eight goals scored and 13 conceded. They went down 3-0 at Auxerre on Friday.

Brest have two clean sheets in seven games in all competitions this season.

On 22 September, they won 2-0 at home against Toulouse, Mama Baldé – on his first start – and Romain Faivre getting the goals.

Julien Le Cardinal missed Friday's defeat due to illness.

Pierre Lees-Melou has not played since 4 May due to a broken fibula although he has resumed training with the squad.

Bradley Locko suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in August.