Monaco vs. Barcelona: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Thursday night's Champions League match between Monaco and Barcelona pits two sides with perfect starts to the season against each other at the Stade Louis II.

Both teams have had encouraging beginnings this season, and they are aiming to win their leagues. Last year, they ended up in second place.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Following last season's disappointing Ligue 1 finish at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco is showing encouraging indications under Adi Hutter.

With a 3-0 victory against Auxerre last weekend, they extended their undefeated streak to four games, allowing Hutter to make many substitutes before this matchup, which they eventually won after an hour.

However, this is a significant improvement over their domestic opponents, so their undefeated streak might be in jeopardy.

Monaco will face Barcelona at the top of the schedule in a league phase that promises to be tough, with Benfica and Aston Villa at home and journeys to Inter Milan and Arsenal on the road.

Despite the intimidating nature of their next opponents, Monaco could take heart from their record versus Spanish teams, which reads seven wins out of nine.

Worryingly, the team has had a terrible home record lately, losing seven games in a row at the Stade Louis II. No team in the history of this tournament has ever lost eight consecutive home games.

After losing in the group stage for the second year in a row in 2018, Hutter hopes a significant mindset shift has occurred since their last participation in the tournament.

In spite of this, the club's Champions League record is impressive. Although it has only made it to the tournament nine times, it has made one final appearance, three semi-finals, and one quarterfinal.

In 1993, their lone encounter with Barcelona was in a season when Barcelona won both matches without allowing a single goal.

Hansi Flick's squad will want to make it three wins when they prepare for their 21st straight season in Europe's top-tier tournament. However, to raise the club's profile, they must improve their previous performances.

After winning the European championship in 2015, Barça have failed to go beyond the quarterfinals on two occasions, in 2021 and 2022.

This contrasts sharply with their record during the club's heyday, when they reached the semi-finals ten times in fifteen seasons (from 1999 to 2015).

Monaco would not be the best choice for the first matchup either, given that Barça had only won twice in their previous nine trips to France (and that was against PSG last season when they were already down in the quarterfinals).

The Blaugrana have a history of strong first-day performances, particularly in recent seasons when they have beaten Ferencvaros, Viktoria Plzen, and Antwerp five times in a row.

The few Culers travelling to southern France on Sunday will be buoyed by a stellar start to the league. Their 4-1 victory against Girona on Sunday extended their 100% start to five matches. They scored 17 goals, with Lamine Yamal stealing the show with two of them.

Monaco x Barcelona Team News

Ligue 1 has cleared midfielder Lamine Camara to return to action after being stretchered off with a neck injury in Monaco's Saturday match against Auxerre. Camara had been in concussion procedures.

Edan Diop and Radoslaw Majecki, the backup goalie, are both out with injuries and won't be ready to play until next month at the latest.

Since Hutter has many players at his disposal, he may make additional changes to the lineup after the international break. He made eight changes for the match against Lens, but then he used the same eleven that defeated Lyon in the weekend's match against Auxerre.

The news that Dani Olmo will be sidelined until after the October international break with a hamstring injury, which he experienced against Girona on Sunday, has left Barcelona dismayed and Flick severely lacking in midfield alternatives.

Olmo became the latest player on an extensive list of Barça absentees, including Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, and Gavi.

While Ronald Araujo's hamstring injury is causing him to miss time, his red card in last season's quarterfinal against PSG would have resulted in a suspension anyway.

After eight goals in the Champions League since joining Barça, Robert Lewandowski has 94 goals. He will aim to become the third player to reach 100 goals in this league round.

Our predictions

Barcelona. to win @ 1.78 on Sky247.ng

Despite injury worries, Barcelona's form is problematic, and a loss here would set a new record for Monaco's most embarrassing home loss ever.

If Yamal maintains his spectacular start, it seems like another victory is in the cards, as Flick's Barça have looked dominant, with five victories from five.

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