Monaco vs Manchester City Champions League: Match Preview, Predicted XIs and Injury News
Manchester City are looking to make a statement in the Champions League tonight when they take on Ligue 1 giants Monaco away from home in the league phase of the competition.
In their last competitive outing, City demolished Burnley by a score of 5-1, with Erling Haaland scoring twice. It was a comfortable display from Pep Guardiola’s men as they effortlessly outclassed their newly promoted opponents.
Monaco, on the other hand, fell to defeat against Lorient in their last game. Captain Thilo Kehrer was sent off in the first half, giving them a mountain to climb for the remainder of the match – they were ultimately beaten 3-1, with their only goal of the game coming through a late Ansu Fati penalty.
As such, City appear to be the team in better form ahead of this one – how will this affect the outcome of the encounter?
Manchester City predicted XI
RB: Matheus Nunes
CB: Josko Gvardiol
CB: Ruben Dias
LB: Nico O’Reilly
DM: Nico Gonzalez
CM: Bernardo Silva
RW: Oscar Bobb
LW: Jeremy Doku
ST: Erling Haaland
Monaco predicted XI
GK: Phillipp Kohn
CB: Thilo Kehrer
CB: Eric Dier
CB: Mohammed Salisu
RM: Vanderson
CM: Jordan Teze
CM: Stanis Idumbo
LM: Caio Henrique
ST: Folarin Balogun
Manchester City injury news
City were in the midst of a major injury crisis a few weeks ago, but this has been largely mitigated since. For their game against Monaco, the Citizens will be without three of their first team stars, while two are considered doubtful.
Rayan Ait-Nouri, Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov are all expected to miss out on the game against Monaco. Marmoush and Ait-Nouri are both currently suffering with knee injuries, while Khusanov is recovering from an ankle problem. None of the three players are expected to be on the shelf long-term.
Rodri missed out on City’s 5-1 win over Burnley at the weekend and will face a late fitness test ahead of tonight’s game, as will Rayan Cherki – the latter has been out for several weeks now, but could make his return to action this evening.
Match prediction
This should be a comfortable win for Manchester City, though Monaco have been known to spring surprises on European giants over the years.
Monaco’s 3-5-2 formation invites the possibility of defensive instability – something that City will be eager to take advantage of. They will need to be wary of Monaco’s counter attacks, however – it would not be shocking to see City concede at least one against their opponents.
Despite this, City should be able outscore Monaco on account of their superior attacking talent – the Ligue 1 outfit have no one who can match up to the likes of Haaland and Jeremy Doku. Additionally, they do not have the necessary defensive acumen to keep them quiet either.
Notably, former Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba plays for Monaco, but he is unlikely to feature in tonight’s game as he is currently out with an injury.
Final prediction: Monaco 1-3 Manchester City
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