Arsenal take on the visitors Monaco in the round 6 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Wednesday, December 11th at Emirates Stadium (London).
Arsenal had long been playing second fiddle. However, their return to the Champions League a year ago convincingly showed that Arteta has succeeded in restoring Arsenal’s status as a genuine powerhouse. The club finished just 2 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League and advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League by winning their group. Yet, Arsenal aimed for more and hoped to build on that success in the current campaign. However, their poor form in the latter half of autumn has left them chasing the leaders. In the Champions League, after confidently beating PSG (though they were held to a 0-0 draw by Atalanta in the first round), they narrowly defeated Shakhtar at home thanks to an own goal but then lost to Inter in Milan. Still, the team showed improvement by thrashing Sporting Lisbon 5-1. Arsenal’s inconsistency in converting chances against stronger teams, such as their draw with Atalanta and narrow win over Shakhtar, suggests they may struggle to break down Monaco's well-organized defense.
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Monaco are mperfect but solid. The "Monegasques" finished outside the European qualification spots two seasons ago. However, Dmitry Rybolovlev responded wisely by appointing the experienced Adi Hütter as head coach. Hütter quickly delivered near-optimal results: in the 2023/2024 season, Monaco finished second in Ligue 1. This season, Golovin and company remain among the league leaders. The added challenge—returning to the Champions League—has been a mixed blessing. They began their campaign with a win over Barcelona, aided by an early red card for their opponents. Subsequent victories over Red Star Belgrade and Bologna followed. However, Monaco failed to beat Dinamo Zagreb and suffered a 2-3 loss to Benfica despite leading in that match. Monaco’s defensive vulnerabilities, as evidenced by their collapse against Benfica, could be exploited by Arsenal’s pacey attackers like Saka and Martinelli.
In the 2015 Champions League playoffs, Monaco beat Arsenal 3-1 in London. Despite losing 0-2 at home in the return leg, they advanced on the away goals rule. Arsenal is undoubtedly the stronger side. However, it’s unlikely that the hosts will dominate entirely in this matchup. A safe bet would be for Monaco to win with a "+1.5 goals" handicap.
Prediction for the match: Monaco to win with +1.5 handicap.
