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An impressive first season under Adi Hütter in which Monaco finished second in Ligue 1 earned them a return to the UEFA Champions League (UCL) proper for the first time since 2018/19. A baptism of fire awaits as they face arguably Europe’s most in-form side in Barcelona, yet the Monégasques will be confident after making an unbeaten start to the campaign themselves (W3, D1) most recently beating Auxerre 3-0.
A strong start to this competition could be key to progression for the Ligue 1 side, as they must also face Arsenal and Inter Milan away from home later on. Just one defeat from their last nine home games against Spanish teams suggests they’ve got a chance (W7, D1), although Monaco have lost each of their last seven home matches in the UCL, which means an unwanted piece of history awaits, as no side has ever lost eight in succession in the competition!
There’ll be no mercy on display from a red-hot Barcelona side who’ve surged to the La Liga summit by winning all five of their league games this term, scoring 17 goals in the process. Hansi Flick will have to cope without Dani Olmo for this trip though, with his new signing ruled out for four to five weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in a 4-1 thrashing of Girona on Sunday.
That may not help them improve on a measly return of two wins from their last nine trips to France (D5, L2), though one of them came at PSG last season before eventually losing the tie. Another victory here would make it 21 victories from 29 UCL openers for the Blaugrana, and as they’ve scored exactly five times in the last three seasons they kicked off their European campaign with a win, goals could well be on the cards in the Principality.
Players to watch: The captain’s armband has inspired Monaco’s Denis Zakaria, who has directly contributed to three goals in his last two club appearances from defensive midfield (G2, A1), with both strikes arriving beyond the 80th minute. Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have outscored Robert Lewandowski in the UCL. Eight of his 94 goals in this competition have come for Barça, though just one of them was the match opener.
Hot stat: 17 of Barcelona’s previous 24 UCL games against French opposition saw both teams score.
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