Preview: Monaco v Aston Villa – team news, prediction, lineups
Aston Villa travel to France on Tuesday evening to face AS Monaco in Champions League action.
Following on from Villa’s impressive second-half turnaround against Arsenal in the Premier League, attentions turn to UEFA’s flagship competition during the week.
Unai Emery’s side were victorious last time out in the competition, having secured a 3-2 victory against RB Leipzig at the back end of December.
Preview
Villa have had an excellent Champions League campaign so far this season, having won four and lost just one of their six fixtures.
Emery’s side sit in the automatic qualification spots as it stands but a defeat against Monaco could mathematically see the Villans drop all the way down to 15th, depending on other results.
On the other hand, a win could see them rise above Barcelona into second place, just one point behind Liverpool.
As for Monaco, they find themselves 16th in the standings with three wins from their six encounters so far, the most recent one ending in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.
Form Guide (All competitions)
Monaco: LLDLW
Aston Villa: DWWWD
Head-To-Head
Villa’s encounter with Monaco will be the first competitive meeting between the two sides and only the fifth time that they have faced a French side away from home.
Monaco have won four of their last five against English opposition at home, while Villa have failed to win in France.
Team News
Monaco have several concerns heading into the clash, with ex-Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun sidelined with an injury alongside winger Krepin Diatta.
Wilfried Singo and Dennis Zakari are also doubts.
As for Emery’s side, John McGinn is a doubt despite his recent return to training, while Ross Barkley and Pau Torres are also expected to be sidelined.
Diego Carlos is suspended and an injury to Amadou Onana against the Gunners could cause the Belgian to miss out.
Donyell Malen is ineligible for the clash after recently joining from Borussia Dortmund.
Predicted lineups
Monaco: Majecki, Henrique, Salisu, Kehrer, Vanderson, Camara, Magassa, Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir, Embolo
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Kamara, Bogarde, Tielemans, Bailey, Rogers, Duran
Prediction: Monaco 1-2 Aston Villa
Aston Villa may have several players missing but should have more than enough to end their winless run in France on Tuesday night.
However, they can’t let the position of Monaco lie to them and they simply must be at their best. With the players available, it should be enough to secure all three points are progress to the knockouts.
In other Aston Villa news, Swansea have approached for a player that featured against Arsenal.
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