As the Champions League reaches its sixth day, Arsenal prepare to host AS Monaco at the Emirates Stadium this Wednesday at 8pm UK time in what promises to be a thrilling encounter. Both teams are tied on 10 points each after five games, and a win for either would bring them tantalizingly closer to a coveted place in the knockout stages, thus avoiding the dreaded play-off round in two matches in February.
Monaco enter this encounter on the back of an impressive run, having won three of their last five Champions League matches, matching their tally in the previous 19 meetings. Arsenal, however, boast an unbeaten run of seven consecutive Champions League games at home, marking their best performance since 2012. The atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium under the floodlights is renowned for igniting passion and performances, and fans hope for another memorable night.
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With 14 Ligue 1 matches played, Monaco currently occupies third place, tied on points with Marseille and five points behind PSG. After a strong start which saw them win six of their first seven matches, their momentum was halted by back-to-back defeats against Nice and Angers. Fortune for the French club, they bounced back last weekend with a decisive 2-0 victory over Toulouse.
Manager Hutter was impressive with his Monaco side in the Champions League, starting with a surprising 2-1 victory over FC Barcelona, particularly notable as the Spanish giants spent most of the match at 10 against 11. Their campaign includes a draw against Dinamo Zagreb and emphatic victories against Red Star Belgrade (5-1) and Bologna, although they suffered a last minute disappointment against Benfica, conceding two goals in the final moments despite a 2-1 lead.
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Arteta, Arsenal’s head coach, recognized the threat posed by Monaco, noting their considerable talents, experience and well-structured game: “They are an exceptional team, as evidenced by their form in the Champions League and in Ligue 1. They have real intensity and quality, making tomorrow’s clash a significant test for us. With a shared history through Arsène Wenger and Thierry Henry, it creates a special atmosphere for us as we prepare for them. confront.”
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Hutter reciprocated by showing the same respect for the London club, saying: “We are here in London to show our style – committed football that poses a challenge to our opponents. Arsenal are a formidable team, particularly skilled at kicking arrested, so we have strategies in place to deal with them. However, we also believe that we can exploit their weaknesses in these scenarios.
Defensive concerns weigh on Arsenal as they weigh whether to include several key players, including Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who all missed their last match against Fulham. However, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White will remain unavailable as they continue their rehabilitation from knee injuries.
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Monaco are facing their own challenges, with suspensions affecting central defenders Wilfried Singo and Christian Mawissa. Additionally, captain Denis Zakaria is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered before their recent match against Toulouse, leading to predictions that Soungoutou Magassa will have to take his place. Former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun has recently suffered shoulder problems and missed last weekend’s encounter, while young talent Edan Dipo is out for the entire season with a foot injury .
According to Adrian Clarke in the official match program, Monaco deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout the Champions League. They tend to drop back into a compact 4-5-1 when under pressure and will look for opportunities to press high. Offensively, their sharp, fluid style has seen them score 12 goals in the competition – only three teams have done better – and 10 different players have found the net, proving they are a constant threat.
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Despite their offensive potential, Monaco have suffered defensively, keeping just two clean sheets in their last 14 matches. They have shown a tendency to make costly individual errors, particularly in handling crosses, having conceded a significant proportion of their Ligue 1 goals following set pieces.
Historically, Monaco have only won one of their last nine away Champions League matches, but that sole victory came recently, against Bologna. They are looking to win back-to-back away games in the competition for the first time since the 2014/15 season, when they triumphed at the Emirates Stadium.
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Interestingly, Monaco have emerged victorious in five of their last seven Champions League matches against English clubs, although this particular encounter is their first since their 3-1 victory over Manchester City in March 2017.
Arsenal have an excellent home record in the Champions League, winning six of their last seven matches at the Emirates Stadium and sharing the number of clean sheets with Inter Milan. Their defensive solidity will be put to the test against Monaco’s versatile attack.
The match will be officiated by experienced Italian referee Davide Massa, who has an extensive track record in Serie A and has handed out just four yellow cards in his Champions League appointments this season.
Our previous competitive encounters with Monaco took place in March 2015 in the round of 16 of the Champions League, where we suffered a 3-1 defeat on home soil, which we made up for with a 2-0 victory at the Stade Louis II, finally eliminating us on away goals. We also faced each other in an Emirates Cup in pre-season, where we won via penalties after drawing a 1-1 draw.
Join us live for coverage from N5 an hour before kick-off on Arsenal.com and via the official app, where Nicole Holliday and Theo Walcott will host the match day show. Former Gunner Ian Selley will also share his thoughts, with pitchside chats with the Invincible Jeremie Aliadiere reminiscing about Champions League memories.
We’ll also be spotlighting British heavyweight champion Chev Clarke ahead of his scheduled title fight in Monaco this weekend and looking back at some of Arsenal’s best moments on social media over the past week. Commentary will be provided by Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke at kick-off.
