Monaco take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 1 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, September 19th at Stade Louis II (Monaco).
Monaco had gradually lost ground since their sensational championship during a time when a very young Mbappé was leading the team. At the end of the season before last, they didn’t even qualify for European competitions. But that was when Adi Hütter arrived on the Côte d'Azur. The experienced Austrian coach turned his team into the league's runners-up—only PSG managed to earn more points. Despite selling a few players over the summer, most notably Fofana, Monaco invested more in new signings, including Kamara, Eliebi, Teze, and Imenikena, than they earned. However, they have already dropped points in the new season against Lens, though they did manage to thrash Auxerre.
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Barcelona is entering a new era. The "Blaugrana," whether through Laporta or other top executives with whom the president didn’t always see eye-to-eye, became disappointed with Xavi over the course of last season. His trophies in 2023 were less about his own brilliance and more about the low level of competition in Spain at the time, which allowed Barça to win both the Super Cup and La Liga. Their struggles in the Champions League were clear: they failed to advance from the group stage twice, and in 2024, they squandered a two-goal lead against PSG in a home match. Without other significant trophies, it was no surprise they parted ways with Xavi. Financial problems also played a role. This summer, they were forced to push out players like Sergi Roberto, Romeu, Marcos Alonso, Victor Roque, and even Gündogan to make room for new signings like Olmo. Dani Olmo quickly started scoring, and his new team, after winning all their matches in August, firmly secured the top spot in La Liga. After the international break, they also routed Girona.
The last official encounter between these teams was 30 years ago in the 1993/1994 European Cup. Barcelona, the "more than a club" side from Catalonia, won both matches. Barcelona is currently in excellent form. We believe they will continue their impressive winning streak.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win.
