Preview: Arsenal v Monaco | Pre-Match Report | News

Matchday six of the Champions League sees Monaco head to Emirates Stadium on Wednesday (8pm UK) for a crunch game as both teams aim to take a huge step towards reaching the last 16.

Locked on 10 points apiece after five games, a victory for either would see them within touching distance of securing a spot in the top eight of the table, and thus skip the two-legged play-off round in February.

In-form Monaco arrive having won three of their last five matches in the competition, as many as they’d managed in their previous 19. However we’ve risen to the occasion under the lights and crackling atmosphere on big European nights, and are unbeaten in each of our last seven Champions League matches in N5 – our best run since 2012.

Monaco racing towards knockouts

The Ligue 1 season is 14 games in, and Monaco currently occupy third place, level on points with Marseille but trailing PSG by five. Six victories in the first seven saw them lead the table but back-to-back defeats to Nice and Angers stunted that momentum, but last weekend saw them return to form by beating Toulouse 2-0.

Hutter’s side have been highly impressive in the Champions League and like ourselves have amassed 10 points from their opening five matches. They began by beating Barcelona 2-1, albeit the Spanish giants playing 80 minutes with 10 men, before drawing 2-2 with our future opponents Dinamo Zagreb.

Red Star Belgrade were then thrashed 5-1, before a late win in Bologna. They led 2-1 against Benfica a fortnight ago heading into the final six minutes despite seeing Singo red-carded, but two late goals from the Portuguese side ended the unbeaten start.

What the managers say

Arteta: “They’re a really good side, you see the run they’ve been on in the Champions League and in the league, especially against top opposition, so a real threat. A team that is superbly well organised, really intense, really good in transition moments as well with a lot of quality, so it’s going to be a very good test for us tomorrow.

“We have a really good link as well with Arsene, Thierry as well. There’s a big history there. It’s a very special club, a special place, so we welcome them here and will hopefully be better than them to try to win the game.”

Hutter: “It will be a very big game for us, but we are here in London to show our style of play, our brand of committed Football. It is also difficult to face us, and we will be on the lookout for any opportunity they can give us. We do not only want to be a good opponent, but to try to bring something back from here.

“Our preparation for this match was necessarily more advanced than for a classic Ligue 1 match, that’s for sure, because Arsenal are a top team! They are very strong on set pieces, it’s a real weapon for them, that’s obvious. They train a lot for that, but we have an idea of ​​how we should defend in these phases. And then we can also be a threat to them in this area, because that’s also something that’s an area of strength for us.”

Team news

Arteta will make a call on whether a number of his defenders will be named in the matchday squad, with Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko all missing against Fulham on Sunday.

Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White won’t be available though as they continue to rehab their knee injuries.

As for Monaco, centre-backs Wilfried Singo and Christian Mawissa are suspended, while skipper Denis Zakaria suffered a hamstring injury in the warm-up before Saturday’s game against Toulouse and Soungoutou Magassa is tipped to fill in.

Ex-Gunner Folarin Balogun also missed that game having been struggling with a shoulder problem of late, and young midfielder Edan Dipo has been out all season with a foot issue.

Talking tactics

Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: Hutter’s has used a 4-2-3-1 in all five Champions League matches so far. When put under pressure Monaco will stay compact and narrow in a 4-5-1, but they will also take any opportunities to press in more advanced areas.

In possession they play sharp, neat and tidy attacking football. Only three sides in the competition have registered more goals than Monaco (12), with 10 different players finding the net, so they are sure to carry attacking menace. That proves that chance creation is not a problem, and have racked up 15 big chances in five games, a number only a handful of clubs can better.

In between the lines they love to get talented teenager Eliesse Ben Seghir, ex-Liverpool star Takumi Minamino or Russian playmaker Aleksandr Golovin [above] on the ball. This is a team full of excellent ball-playing technicians.

Keeping just two clean sheets in their last 14 matches, Hutter’s side are not watertight at the back, have had an unwanted habit of making individual mistakes, costing them goals in Ligue 1 and in Europe. Dealing with crosses has also proved problematic, who let in two late headed goals against Benfica, and a quarter of the Ligue 1 goals they have conceded have stemmed from set pieces.

Facts and stats

Monaco have won just one of their last nine Champions League away matches, although this sole victory came in their last such match against Bologna. They’re looking to win back-to-back away matches in the competition for the first time since 2014/15 campaign when the second victory came at Emirates Stadium.

Monaco have won five of their last seven matches against English sides in the Champions League. However, this will be their first such game since beating Man City 3-1 in March 2017.

Only Barcelona and Bayern Munich (both 7) have won more home games in the Champions League since the start of last season than us (6), while our six clean sheets are the joint-most in that time along with Inter Milan.

The last visiting side to keep a clean sheet at the Emirates against us in the Champions League was Barcelona in February 2016.

We lead all teams in the opening five matchdays of the Champions League for high-intensity pressures in the final third (666). Indeed, the individual player who made the most in the opening five rounds was Kai Havertz (179).

Bukayo Saka has both scored and assisted in four different games in the Champions League since the start of last season, more than any other player. Indeed, he’s been involved in eight goals in his six home games in the competition (5 goals, 3 assists).

Match officials

Experienced official Davide Massa heads an all-Italian refereeing team for this game, having been overseeing matches in his nation’s top-flight for 13 years. In his three Champions League appointments this season, he has shown just four yellow cards.

It’ll be his first return to Emirates Stadium since our 2-1 Europa League defeat to Olympiakos back in February 2020. He also oversaw our wins at Qarabag and Eintracht Frankfurt in that competition between 2018 and 2019, the latter was against a side managed by Hutter.

Referee: Davide Massa
Assistants: Filippo Meli, Stefano Alassio
Fourth official: Daniele Doveri
OUR: Daniele Chiffi
Assistant VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo

meetings with Monaco

Our only competitive games against Monaco came back in March 2015 in the Champions League round of 16, when we fell to a 3-1 home loss before recording a 2-0 win at the Stade Louis II thanks to goals from Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey, but ultimately we exited the competition on the away goals rule.

We did meet at the start of last season in the Emirates Cup during pre-season, as we clinched the silverware courtesy of a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in north London when Eddie Nketiah got our goal.

Live coverage

Live From N5 is the place to be from an hour before kick-off on Arsenal.com and the official app as Nicole Holliday and Theo Walcott host our matchday show!

Former Gunner Ian Selley drops by the studio to give his take on the big game, while Frimmy will be pitchside with Invincible Jeremie Aliadiere to chat Champions League memories. There will also be a battle of Arsenal generations as Theo pits his Gunners knowledge against Nigel Winterburn and Perry Groves.

Ahead of his European title fight in Monaco this weekend, we catch up with British cruiserweight champion Chev Clarke and look back at some of the best content from the world of Arsenal social media over the past week, before handing over to live commentary from Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke come kick-off.

You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the action live wherever you are in the world.

See the team in action at Arsenal Stadium tonight. Final tickets remaining, available to Arsenal Silver and Red Members via Ticket Exchange.