David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Monaco
Barcelona
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One of the opening-round matches of the Champions League will take place in southern France, where AS Monaco will host Barcelona at the "Stade Louis II." Here’s a match prediction from the Dailysports expert team.
Monaco
After a somewhat disappointing last season, Monaco appointed Adi Hütter as head coach. The Austrian manager made an immediate impact, guiding Monaco to a second-place finish behind PSG. Over the summer, the team parted ways with players such as Fofana, Maripán, and Lemarechal, while Jacobs was sent on loan to Galatasaray.
Monaco also strengthened their squad, investing €58 million to bring in talents like Ilenikhena, Lamine Camara, Mavissile Elabi, and Jordan Teze. Monaco started the new season with wins over Saint-Étienne and Lyon, but dropped points against Lens. However, they bounced back in their most recent match, comfortably defeating Auxerre 3-0.
Barcelona
The "Blaugrana" cannot consider last season a success. Despite reaching the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in three years, they were eliminated by PSG. Domestically, Barcelona lost the La Liga title race to Real Madrid well before the season's end. In fact, the club ended the season without any silverware.
However, Barcelona has started the current season in brilliant form. They have won all five of their opening matches, securing victories against Valencia (2-1), Athletic Bilbao (2-1), Rayo Vallecano (2-1), and Valladolid (7-0). Last weekend, Barcelona avenged last season’s losses to Girona with an emphatic 4-1 away win.
Match Facts
- Monaco have scored in their last nine matches.
- Monaco have won three of their last four games.
- All five of Barcelona’s matches this season have seen over 2.5 goals.
H2H
The last time these two sides met in the Champions League was in the 1993/1994 season, with Barcelona winning both legs – 2-0 at home and 1-0 away. In August 2024, Monaco defeated Barcelona 3-0 in a friendly.
Probable Lineups
- Monaco: Köhn, Vanderson, Kehrer, Salisu, Henrique, Camara, Zakaria, Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir, Embolo.
- Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Koundé, Kubarsi, Martínez, Baldé, Pedri, Casado, García, Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha.
Prediction
Bookmakers are favoring Barcelona, with odds for their win at 1.81. We agree with this outlook, as Barcelona is currently in excellent form and should start their Champions League campaign with a victory.
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