AS Monaco will be desperate to bounce back from their 4-1 defeat against Olympique Lyonnais last time out when Bordeaux comes to town this weekend.
Having only won one of their last five matches, Niko Kovac’s side need to get back on track. Even though there’s been many positive signs, consistency and their inability to convert chances has hindered them.
Having scored five goals in his last five games the importance of Wissam Ben Yedder can’t be underestimated. And the French international will need to be at his best against a stubborn, hard to break down Bordeaux defence. Indeed, the fact Jean-Louis Gasset’s men have only conceded five goals in league action (the second best in the league) illustrates their solidity at the back. But with defensive leader and former Arsenal star, Laurent Koscielny, a chance to miss through injury, Les Monegasques will hope to take advantage of this.
With Monaco expected to dominate possession, they’ll need to be wary of the threat Bordeaux pose on the counter attack, as they’ve already scored three goals via transitions. Moreover, Monaco will need to prepare for their set piece effectiveness too, for Bordeaux have bagged three from this avenue.
Another aspect Kovac is trying to address is the amount of costly errors his team is committing, something that’s plagued them all season, cost them many points and undone so much of their good work. He duly touched on this in his pre match presser, explaining: “We are in Ligue 1 and every mistake can be costly on the pitch. I think we need to reduce the number of individual mistakes, and if we can do that, I’m sure we’ll have positive results. In any case, that’s what we have been working on this week. I’m sure the players understand and they won’t make them again.
“Bordeaux are a good team, one point ahead of us at present, and they have a very good defence. We have to be careful because they also have good attackers and a good midfield.”
Keen to stick to his philosophy and possession oriented approach, Kovac is sure things will click soon for his talented team. A win over a tough Bordeaux at the Stade Louis II would be the perfect catalyst for an upswing in confidence and to silence his critics.