This Saturday at 5 p.m. (CET), Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) faces Brest (12th) at the Stade Francis Le-Blé as part of Matchday 9 of Ligue 1 2025-2026. At a press conference, Brest coach Eric Roy spoke about this match and the Parisian opponent, including his thoughts on Ousmane Dembélé, the 28-year-old Parisian striker who won the Ballon d’Or.
Roy: “We don’t prepare for a match in fear.”
“Do I fear PSG?”
Obviously, they’re an exceptional team, arguably the strongest in the world right now. We’ll always try to play against them, even if experience shows they can punish you at any moment with the quality of their talent. They remain almost unbeatable. But we don’t prepare for a match in fear: we have nothing to lose, everything to gain.” You have to enjoy yourself and give your all in the races and the duels. Without that, you’ll never be able to put them in trouble.
Roy: “Very happy for Ousmane Dembélé”
I’m very happy for Ousmane Dembélé, who won the Ballon d’Or. It’s well-deserved, especially thanks to his stats… including those against us (laughs). This trophy recognizes his work for the team, both defensively and offensively. It’s also the result of Luis Enrique’s work with him. I think it’s great to see a striker who defends and can even do everything, be rewarded. Congratulations to him!”
It’s interesting to see this eager approach, putting aside the risk of a heavy defeat. Which exists even with a defensive approach. So, the Brest coach prefers to play his heart out, with his philosophy and the attempt to “cause pain.” It’s better not to have any regrets and not to feel like he missed out.
Even though we suspect that Brest will have to retreat at times, Brest isn’t used to having the ball for long periods, and PSG knows how to apply stifling pressure. Paris will, however, have to be wary of quick, fully executed transitions. It’s up to the Parisians to approach the match wisely to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Perhaps it will be with Dembélé in the starting lineup, but that’s not a given. We expect to see him play, without knowing how much playing time he’ll get. But we can appreciate Eric Roy’s positive comments, who also highlighted the work of coach Luis Enrique and the team.
