Preview: Pivotal Champions League clash vs. Aston Villa awaits AS Monaco
Returning to the home comforts of the Stade Louis II for the first time in 2025, AS Monaco are determined to rebound against Aston Villa following their disappointing recent run of results.
Arrest the slide
Wanting to get back on track and secure their first win of the year, Adi Hutter spoke insightfully in the pre-match press conference on how he and the team are approaching this massive Champions League clash and what the keys to reversing their fortunes are.
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“Everyone can see that we are currently experiencing difficulties, especially due to repeated individual errors. It is sometimes difficult to find an explanation for this, because it does not depend on our organisation, but rather on technical issues or simply major errors,” he insisted.
“And then it doesn’t only happen against the top teams, but also against Montpellier, where we were punished for our mistakes. It’s obvious that we’re in a difficult situation, but I’m still happy with the team I have at my disposal. In any case, tomorrow we have the opportunity to get back on track against a very good opponent.”
Villa test
The next topic of discussion was what a stern examination Unai Emery’s side will be for Les Monegasques. And the Austrian manager is under no illusions how tough this fixture will be.
“As I said, this is a great opportunity for us to get the ball rolling again. We’re going up against a Premier League team that has been stable at the top of the table in recent seasons. And even though Arsenal were the better team this weekend, they managed to draw after being 2-0 down by scoring two great goals at the Emirates. They also have a very good coach in Unai Emery, who has won the Europa League four times with Sevilla (3) and Villarreal (1),” stated the 54-year-old.
“And then they have good players, whether it’s Martinez, who is a fantastic goalkeeper, Rogers, who is a great number 10, or Duran and Watkins in attack. But also Youri Tielemans, the lungs of this team. We are very happy to play this match that can qualify us for the play-offs. But with this new formula, we must also pay attention to the slightest goal that can make the difference in the standings. That’s why we must be totally focused to try to win this match tomorrow.
“I’m not surprised to see them so high up, although we were probably expecting some teams in the top eight instead. For me, it was obvious that they were going to qualify for the play-offs, because they show every weekend in the Premier League that they are very solid. Tomorrow will be a very important match for us, the last one at home in the Champions League. So we want to show that we are back, but also to prove to our fans that we want to fight on every action and play forward showing our playing philosophy.”
Selection
Set to get some star players back for this one, having the likes of Denis Zakaria and Aleksandr Golovin available will be vital towards Monaco’s hopes of toppling Villa.
“It is always better for a coach to have more players at his disposal, because it puts more competition in each position, as was the case at the beginning of the season. Some have returned from injury or illness, like Denis Zakaria, who will be back tomorrow, as well as Aleksandr Golovin, who was ill, plus Christian Mawissa and Wilfried Singo. We will know more after today’s training, but it is certainly better when the group is almost at full strength,” he told the media in attendance.
“We will decide after the session who is fit to start tomorrow, because it is not always easy to come back from injury or illness. We want to be a good competitor for Aston Villa tomorrow, erase our individual mistakes and play with confidence to show our style of play. And we will see what happens.”
Form questions
Further subjects that Hutter was asked about were Golovin’s form and why certain members of the squad haven’t been able to perform at their best during this rough run.
“It’s not just Golo who is performing less than last season in terms of statistics, it’s the whole attacking line that is doing a little less well. It’s the same with Breel Embolo, Takumi Minamino and even Maghnes Akliouche. In any case, as a coach, I would be very worried if we didn’t create any chances or if we only had two shots on goal against Montpellier,” wisely commented the experienced boss.
“But we had 17 shots in the first half against them, which is a lot! It’s my job to push the team to create as many chances as possible, but behind that we have to score more, that’s obvious. But I’m convinced that we can get out of this situation.”
“We are on a bad run, but I have never criticised my team, because I am here to protect my players. I take my responsibilities as a coach to get us out of this situation. We will see at the end of the season where we will finish, because last season, it was pretty much the same scenario. What is certain in any case is that I believe in my group! At the moment, we are always close to winning and have had the chances to win. At the beginning of the season it was the opposite, everything or almost everything seemed very simple and went well for us.”
Gunning for glory
Keen to get on the attack and play in their trademark style, watch for ASM to push hard for victory against Villa, in a match that will be crucial towards their hopes of progressing to the next stage of the coveted competition.