Ahead of Champions League warm-up, PSG are soaring and Brest slumping

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain, already galloping away at the top of Ligue 1, take on last season´s surprise team Brest in the fourth round, with French police on alert as fans protest the league´s broadcast deal.

PSG are the only team to have won their first three games and are two points clear of Marseille at the head of the table. Brest, who finished third last season to qualify for the Champions League for the first time, started this season in disastrous fashion.

They were thrashed 5-1 at home by Marseille on opening day and then went down 2-0 to 10-man Lens. Brest rebounded with a 4-0 won over promoted Saint-Etienne in their last match. The international break might have robbed them of any momentum ahead of their visit to Parc des Princes on Saturday and their Champions League debut against Austrians Sturm Graz on Thursday.

PSG, meanwhile, will be warming up for their Champions League opener at home to Girona on Wednesday. Momentum should not be a problem for a side that have banged in 13 goals in their first three games. PSG´s strikers kept scoring on Nations League duty for France.

Bradley Barcola struck after 13 seconds against Italy, but Les Bleus lost 2-1. Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele then both scored to give France a 2-0 victory over Belgium and end a brief national crisis.

Meanwhile, a police memo, seen by AFP, went out on Wednesday to the regional police services and local government to alert them to possible protests by supporters during the next round of games.