AS Monaco have, surprisingly, been one of the most fun teams to watch in the Champions League so far this season. Lead by the resurgent Radamel Falcao and supported by a wide variety of talented and underrated players, they stormed their way to winning Group E with a match to spare. Now they face Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, and they have a chance to show us once more just how much fun they can be.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Monaco 2016: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know for Champions League
It’s time to see if Radamel Falcao and company can enthrall us again.
There’s no pressure on Monaco here — no need to force themselves to get a certain result or play too conservatively. They can go out with freedom to play however they like, and while some stars such as Falcao will likely start the match on the bench so as to be protected, they still have plenty of exciting talent to display.
Bayer Leverkusen are in much the same boat, with second place secure and a big Bundesliga match looming this weekend. It would be understandable to see them rest most of their team, but they also need to get themselves some positive momentum after an up-and-down start to the season. A win over Monaco would be a way to do just that, so don’t expect Leverkusen to go too easy on their opponents in this one, despite the lack of stakes.
TV: Fox Deportes (U.S.), Sky Sport 1/HD, 4/HD, Sport1+ (Germany), beIN Sports 1, Foot+ (France)
Online: Fox Soccer 2GO, Fox Sports Go, ESPN3, WatchESPN (U.S.), Sky Go Deutschland (Germany)
Match date/time: 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany
Three big things to know
- Both managers have made it clear in their prematch press conferences that they’re not going to take this match easy. Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim has talked about how this match isn’t a friendly and how he doesn’t intend to treat it as such. Leverkusen manager Roger Schmidt has made it clear that he wants his team to get a win back over Monaco after dropping points against them earlier in the group and losing to them twice in the group stage a year ago.
- Javier Hernandez is far from enjoying the same kinds of successes he did for Leverkusen a season ago, and nowhere is that more typified than in his struggles in the Champions League. He’s scored just one goal in five matches, thanks to a combination of his own inconsistent form and struggles in the midfield to reliably create good scoring chances for him. Leverkusen will want to do anything they can do get him going in this match — because if he can get his form rolling again, Leverkusen will suddenly get a lot more dangerous.
- Interestingly, Leverkusen have not won a Champions League match at the BayArena this season, while Monaco have yet to lose on the road. In fact, Monaco are somehow the only team in their group to win a match at home, a statistical oddity that they would certainly like to be able to hold onto if they can.
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