On Tuesday, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger returns to the ground at which he led Monaco to a French league and cup, though it’s unlikely to be a happy occasion. His side are 3-1 down to the Ligue 1 club after an embarrassing defeat on home soil late last month, and it’d take a mammoth effort for them to overhaul their aggregate deficit and progress into the quarterfinals.
Monaco vs. Arsenal preview, Champions League 2015: Gunners face uphill battle
After losing the home leg 3-1, Arsenal have an unenviable task against Monaco on Tuesday.
Clive Mason/Getty Images
They have to score at least three times if they’re to stand any chance of progressing, though, and unfortunately Monaco have one of the most miserly defenses in Europe. You have to go back to August for the last time they shipped that many in a single game, when they were hammered 4-1 away at domestic rivals Bordeaux. They haven’t conceded three goals in a home game since a second-tier match against Angers back in 2011.
Team news
Monaco will still be without veteran defender Andrea Raggi, young defensive midfielder Tiémoué Bakayoko and striker Lacina Traoré through injury, but Leonardo Jardim should have a full strength team otherwise. There are slight doubts regarding Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco and Geoffrey Kondogbia, but so far they are expected to play. Midfield anchorman Jérémy Toulalan is also available again after missing the first leg due to a suspension.
Arsenal will still be without Mathieu Debuchy, Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, though their injury list seems to be gradually shrinking in size. Jack Wilshere is nearing a return, however he is not expected to play just yet. Gabriel and Tomas Rosicky could also miss out.
Projected lineups (left to right)
Monaco (4-2-3-1): Danijel Subašić; Layvin Kurzawa, Aymen Abdennour, Wallace, Fabinho; Geoffrey Kondogbia, Jérémy Toulalan; Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, João Moutinho, Nabil Dirar; Dimitar Berbatov.
Arsenal (4-3-3): David Ospina; Nacho Monreal, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Calum Chambers; Aaron Ramsey, Francis Coquelin, Mesut Özil; Alexis Sánchez, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck.
Key Matchups
Arsenal's defense vs. the Monaco counter-attack -- The first leg was a perfect illustration of just how lethal Monaco can be on the counter-attack (and another demonstration of exactly how vulnerable Arsenal are to it). In this match, the Gunners will have to push forward right from the first whistle, and that could leave space for the hosts to exploit with more of their typical fast breaks. It is likely to be another difficult night for the Arsenal defense.
João Moutinho vs. Francis Coquelin -- If we’re looking at one-on-one battles, then one of the most important -- providing both Monaco and Arsenal set-up as they did in the first leg -- will be the attacking fulcrum of the hosts, João Moutinho, against Arsenal’s young holding midfielder, Francis Coquelin. Whoever wins that battle could go on to determine the war.
Alexis Sánchez vs. the Monaco right-back -- Alexis Sánchez is currently enduring his longest barren spell since arriving at Arsenal from Barcelona in the summer, having only scored once in his last 10 games. Given how important he can be when on form, it’s becoming an increasing worry for Wenger’s outfit. They’ll have to hope the pacey Chilean is back to his best in this game, and that he gives the Monaco right-back -- likely to be either Fabinho or Almamy Touré -- a very difficult evening.
Prediction
In this game, Monaco can afford to sit back and allow their sturdy defense to soak up the pressure, safe in the knowledge that their quick attackers could hit Arsenal on the break at any moment. The Gunners will have to push forward from the very start, and that will leave them exposed to such counter-attacks throughout the evening. Because of that, we’re predicting the Ligue 1 outfit to snatch another victory en-route to an unlikely quarterfinal slot. 2-1 Monaco.
See More:
