Brest is soaring in Champions League but stumbling in Ligue 1

BREST, France — Paris Saint-Germain’s ‘Dream Bigger’ motto is better suited to its French league rival Brest on Europe's biggest stage.

With one of the smallest budgets in Ligue 1, the attacking-minded Brittany side is flying high in the revamped Champions League after qualifying for a continental tournament for the first time.

Despite a plethora of injuries, Brest boosted its chances of finishing in the top eight of the elite competition by beating PSV 1-0 midweek. With two matches left to play, Brest stands seventh, level on points with five other teams including Arsenal.

PSG, meanwhile, lags in 25th place, facing full elimination.

It’s a remarkable achievement for Brest, whose 15,000-capacity stadium in northwestern France, compares to PSG’s nearly 49,000 at the Parc des Princes, while PSG’s estimated annual budget is 860 million euros ($900 million) compared to Brest’s 48 million euros.

“This is a real exploit for a club like ours,” Brest manager Eric Roy said after watching a series of decisive saves by Marco Bizot and Julien Le Cardinal's winning goal against PSV. "The players gave everything. This has been a really great evening that will go down in the history of the club.”

Because Brest’s stadium does not meet UEFA’s requirements, the club’s European home games are played at Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou — 114 kilometers (71 miles) away.

With a qualification for the knockout stage now looming, Brest, which will play its final game in the league phase against Real Madrid at its temporary home, is reportedly looking at an ever bigger option for future games.

According to L'Equipe newspaper, Brest has made contact with the Stade de France to check whether it could use the arena in Paris, with a capacity of more than 80,000 during the knockout phase.

Last season, Brest secured the final automatic berth for French clubs in the Champions League with a third-place finish. The club’s results on the domestic scene have not been as good this season, with Brest in 11th place ahead of Sunday's game against Nantes.

The Champions League is taking a big toll on Brest, however, and injuries have been piling up in recent weeks. Veteran midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou, who is out until next year, was among the seven players missing against PSV, and the squad will again be depleted when facing Nantes.

With the accumulation of matches, Roy tried to rotate his players as much as he could, but with the absentees piling up he does not have many options left.

“Over time, we can’t compete at the highest level if we have too many injuries,” Roy said after the win over PSV. “We hardly have any players left. Those who played tonight are going to have to start again on Sunday. We’ve got no choice.”

The coach said that Senegalese defender Abdoulaye Ndiaye was at the receiving end of a tackle that left him with a cut on a foot early in the match against PSV. But he soldiered on and the injury required seven stitches at halftime. “He gritted his teeth,” Roy said.

In other Ligue 1 matches this weekend, leader PSG takes on in-form Lyon while second-place Marseille hosts Lille. Monaco travels to Reims.