Monaco v Aston Villa match preview
Out of form domestically and in the Champions League, Monaco are three points adrift of the automatic round of 16 and the knockout places as Adi Hutter’s side look to avoid three consecutive defeats in Europe at home to Aston Villa on Tuesday (5.45pm GMT).
After Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Montpellier left them without a win in four games in 2025, Hatter denied his players were distracted by the prospect of facing the 1981/82 European champions in the penultimate matchday.
“I have a lot of respect for Montpellier, but we needed to prevail to regain confidence,” said the Austrian after his side threw away the lead at the bottom of Ligue 1 by gifting Musa Al-Taamari the equaliser.
“Tuesday will be a completely different game: it’s the Champions League at home, but I don’t think the team already had Aston Villa in mind.
“We were dominant in the first half. We were the best team. And after the equalizer and the way we conceded it, I started to see bad body language… we only managed (then) to be dangerous in the last few minutes.”
Villa is eighth in the Premier League after a reverse story on Saturday, coming back from 2-0 behind after 59 minutes against Arsenal. secured a 2-2 draw thanks to two goals in nine minutes from Ollie Watkins and Youri Tielemans.
They are within a point of the Champions League automatic promotion places thanks to Ross Barkley’s 85th-minute winner in a 3-2 win at Leipzig on 10 December.
“Arsenal were the better team but Villa came back and played a draw,” Hatter said, noting that his counterpart Unai Emery has won the Europa League three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.
“(Emiliano) Martinez is an incredible goalkeeper. (Morgan) Rogers is a fantastic number 10, (with Jhon) Duran and Watkins as forwards.
“Tielemans is the pacesetter in the center of midfield. We also have to be very careful with every goal in this phase of the league. Every goal can be decisive.”
Monaco – Villa team news
Folarin Balogun is a long-term absentee for Monaco after shoulder surgery, while team-mate George Ilenikhena is out with a muscle problem.
Winger Krepin Diatta is out of form and defender Thilo Kehrer – who scored against Montpelier – will be suspended if suspended.
“If we drop our intensity, coach will kill us for sure,” forward Breel Embolo said. Birmingham Live. “Teams show us more respect and opponents defend more tightly. We have to adapt.
“We are still the same team we were three months ago. We have the same coach and players. It’s an opportunity to put things right.”
Midfielders Amadou Onana and John McGinn are doubts for Villa, who are without defenders Diego Carlos (suspension) and Pau Torres (ankle), as well as playmaker Barkley with a calf injury.
Duran, who was Reportedly the subject of a £57million bid from West Ham on Mondaywill be suspended for the visit of Celtic on January 29 (8pm) if the forward is off.
New signature Donyell Malen cannot register for the Champions League until the knockout stage.
Expected line-ups Monaco – Aston Villa
Monaco: Majecki? Caio Henrique, Kehrer, Singo, Vanderson; CAMERA, Zakaria? Ben Seghir, Golovin, Akliouche; Plunger
Aston Villa: Martinez? Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne? Kamara, Onana; Bailey, Tielemans, Ramsey; Watkins
Prophecy
At the sharp end of the league stagevictory for either side could be hugely important to their aspirations of automatic promotion by finishing as one of the top eight teams in the new format of a 36-team table.
A lot could depend on Monaco regaining the form they found at the start of the campaign, taking 10 points from a possible 12 and winning at home to Barcelona and Crvena zvezda.
Hutter’s side were briefly on top in France as part of an eight-game unbeaten start in Ligue 1, but have since lost five and drawn two of their 10 league matches, as well as back-to-back European defeats at home to Benfica and Arsenal .
In their first campaign in the modern Champions League, Villa came to their only defeat, losing to Club Brugge, while their defensive record is the fourth best in this year’s competition.
By contrast, only three teams in the top 23 have scored more goals than the 10 conceded by Monaco, who lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 in their only home game since December 7.
The 2003/04 finalists will not want to visit Inter in the final matchday in an uncomfortably close position in the bottom eight and have a useful record against English opposition, winning 11 and drawing six of their 21 meetings.
Villa have won three times and drawn twice in their last five games. Expect them to repeat the defensive rigor they have shown in Europe this season in a 1-1 draw.
