Monaco vs Crvena Zvezda Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
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It has been a magnificent start to the season for Monaco in Ligue 1 as they try and sustain a serious title challenge. They now welcome Serbian champions Crvena Zvezda to the Stade Louis II this week.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday 22nd October, 2024 - UK – 5:45pm / US ET – 12:45pm / US PT – 9:45am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – Paramount+
MONACO PREVIEW: FRUSTRATED BY LILLE
Adi Hutter, formerly of Borussia Monchengladbach, has created an entertaining but now effective style of football with Monaco as they look to sustain a title challenge against Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 this season. The Monagasque were held to a goalless draw by Lille at the weekend to mean they now sit below PSG on goal difference.
In their opening two games in the UEFA Champions League, Monaco started with a brilliant and surprising 2-1 defeat of Barcelona in the principality last month before then being pegged back in the Croatian capital a few weeks ago, trailing by two goals to nil in that match before fighting back.
CRVENA ZVEZDA PREVIEW: BEING THE BEST OF THEMSELVES
Crvena Zvezda, also known as Red Star Belgrade, are the dominant force in Serbian football and, domestically, they have once again been magnificent. They have won ten and drawn one of their opening 11 Serbian SuperLiga matches to mean they sit six points clear at the top-of-the-table already with a game-in-hand.
The Serbians come into this one on the back of a 5-1 demolition of Radnicki Nis at the weekend. In their opening couple of UEFA Champions League matches so far this season, they suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Benfica in Belgrade before then being hammered by four goals to nil by Internazionale at San Siro.
MONACO TEAM NEWS: FRESH ABSENTEES
Since their last UEFA Champions League outing against Dinamo Zagreb earlier this month, Monaco have lost a couple of key players with injuries to Mohammed Salisu and Folarin Balogun.
Those two join Edan Diop on the sidelines but another smart summer transfer window means Monaco have recruited quite a deep and impressive squad so will be able to adjust accordingly.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Kohn; Vanderson, Kehrer, Teze, Henrique; Camara, Zakaria; Akliouche, Minamino, Golovin; Embolo
UNAVAILABLE: Salisu (Injured), Diop (Injured), Balogun (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
CRVENA ZVEZDA TEAM NEWS: NO IVANIC
Crvena Zvezda have been dealing with injury absentees throughout this campaign and they will be without Mirko Ivanic for this week’s trip to the Stade Louis II.
As well as Ivanic, the Serbians also have a couple of key injury doubts, too, as both Ornjen Mimovic and Vuk Draskic could be unavailable for this one.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): M. Ilic; Prutsev, Djiga, Spajic, Rodic; Krunic, Elsnik; Maksimovic, L. Ilic, Olayinka; Duarte
UNAVAILABLE: Ivanic (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Mimovic (Injured), Draskic (Injured)
KEY STATS
- Monaco won the only previous two UEFA competition matches between these two teams. Both were in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League group stage (1-0 a, 4-1 h).
- Monaco have lost only one of their last six UEFA competition matches (W3 D2).
- Monaco have won five of their last seven UEFA competition group/league phase matches at home (D1 L1).
- Monaco have lost only two of their last ten UEFA competition matches at home (W5 D3).
- Crvena Zvezda have won only one of their previous 16 UEFA competition matches against French teams (D4 L11). Their only success was a 2-1 home victory against Metz in the UEFA Cup first round in September 1998 (D3 L11 since then).
- Crvena Zvezda are without a win in their last 12 matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper (D1 L11). Since a 3-1 home victory against Olympiacos in October 2019.
- Crvena Zvezda have lost all their previous ten away matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper.
- None of Crvena Zvezda’s last 19 matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper finished without a goal being scored.
MONACO VS CRVENA ZVEZDA PREDICTION
Monaco are the overwhelming favourites for this but they have put in the occasional unconvincing performance in both Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League. Crvena Zvezda showed some signs of fight against Benfica but they are reliant on the Maracana to put up that much of a fight, whereas on the road they are a lot worse and struggled against Inter. A comfortable Monaco victory is to be expected for this one on the principality.
MONACO VS CRVENA ZVEZDA TIP: MONACO TO WIN -1 HANDICAP
