Preview: AS Monaco set for massive Coupe de France clash with Reims

Ready to claim their first victory of 2025, AS Monaco are chomping at the bit to produce an accomplished display to overcome Reims in their upcoming Coupe de France clash.

Ahead of this key match, Les Monegasques manager Adi Hutter spoke at the pre-match press conference, where he covered a host of topics.

Biereth joins

First on the agenda was exciting new signing Mika Biereth, as Hutter shared his thoughts on the talented forward, who will provide some much-needed depth and quality up front for the Principality club.

“Mika is obviously ready to play, his last match was in mid-December (against Lille in the Champions League). We will see if he will be in the starting line-up tomorrow in Reims. In any case, we are very happy that he has joined AS Monaco. He has an interesting profile, because he is a real finisher. I followed his performances in Austria at Sturm Graz, where he was one of the key elements of the club’s success, which included a league and cup double,” he explained.

“He has scored a lot of goals, clearly has the profile of a goalscorer as I said before. He’s an instinctive finisher, knows how to position himself and always has the will to make the net shake. Mika also does a great job for the team outside the box, and fits perfectly with our style of play, which is similar to the one he experienced in Graz. We are therefore very happy that he is joining us.”

He then touched on how important it is getting Biereth integrated quickly, stating: “The most important thing will be to integrate him into the team. There will inevitably be a period of adaptation to Ligue 1, which is a new championship for him, even if he has already had the opportunity to meet Lille three times (twice in the Europa Conference League and once in the Champions League). 

“He also scored twice against them, so he had a taste of what the French championship is like. But knowing his mentality from following him to Graz, he is a player who likes to be part of the life of a group and who can be important for the atmosphere in the locker room. This will undoubtedly be important in the pursuit of our objectives.”

State of play

Up next was Hutter’s opinion on his team’s current run, which has seen them struggle to reward themselves with wins despite putting in some polished showings, with the Nantes draw on the weekend being an apt example.

“When you don’t win, the coach is always responsible! We can’t compare this season with the previous one, because there are three competitions to play today. Despite everything, I’m not here to look for excuses, even if there is a reality. We have a lot of young players, like Eliesse (Ben Seghir) and Maghnes (Akliouche), who are in their first season as key players. Among the experienced players, we were deprived of the likes of Denis (Zakaria) for nine games and Folarin (Balogun), who has already missed 13 games, that’s why we wanted to recruit Mika,” he told the media.

“We are always looking for progress, for the development of this young team. We are not satisfied with the current performances, especially this first period in Nantes. But there are many reasons why the results are not as satisfactory as at the start of the season. And, at the same time, we are still well placed in the Ligue 1 standings, even if the gap with our competitors is narrowing. The season ends in May, not in January, and I hope that we will be able to get back to good results very quickly, while being safe from injuries and suspensions.”

Recovery vital

Keen to stress the importance of squad management and recovery, this subject was another one that Hutter spoke insightfully on. “Obviously we have to be very careful about this. It’s one of the reasons why the players aren’t necessarily at their best, because with the many fixtures, fatigue builds up. We are aware of this, and I must say that the number of matches is very high, which demands a lot physically of the players. But in this team, I believe in each player, which means that we will be able to set up a rotation. It’s necessary, because we play tomorrow against Reims, then return at night to leave again on Friday for Montpellier,” asserted the 54-year-old.

“This Coupe de France match is important because it is a knockout match. When you compare with last season, players like Golo (Golovin) or Taki (Minamino) were more decisive, also because there were fewer games. Takumi creates chances, but that’s football. He travels a lot to Japan with the national team and there are also very demanding games with the Champions League. That’s why we have to protect them, be careful in giving them rest and deciding when they should play and when they should be preserved or left on the bench. Rotation is very important in a period like this.”

Lamine Camara starring

With Lamine Camara continuing to show his class in the heart of midfield for Monaco, it was completely understandable why Hutter was full of praise for the young star on the rise.

“He started the season really well, quickly became an important member of this group and the team. His association with Denis Zakaria is for me very interesting, very solid. But with young players, it is sometimes normal to encounter more difficult periods,” commented the Austrian tactician.

“My feeling is that he is back now. He had a very good second half in Nantes. And then he was voted best young African player for the second time in a row, so that is also a sign that does not deceive. In any case, he is on the right track.”

Bouabre and Michal

The progress of gifted prospects Saimon Bouabre and Lucas Michal were the final talking points, with the ASM coach speaking positively on the dynamic duo. “I was happy with their performance in Nantes, they did good things and are examples for our Academy to know when we can make them move from the Elite Group to the pro team. With them, we have more possibilities offensively. They have been training regularly with us since this summer and have made a real step,” said the experienced boss.

“Saimon tried to do his best in Nantes, where it wasn’t easy, especially for his first start. Lucas also showed with his entry into the game that he is fast and good in one-on-one. He can score goals, and both have a good attitude. They have a future in this group, but as with every young player, we must be careful not to go too fast.”

Game on

Fully focused and determined to secure their passage to the next stage of the Coupe de France, expect ASM to come out swinging and put their best foot forward in their search for victory.