BOTH Arsenal and Monaco will be playing to strengthen their respective position inside the top eight in the Champions League standings when they meet in North London on Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 at the Emirates.
How the bookies view it: Arsenal clear favourites
Despite them being level on points with Monaco, Arsenal are clear favourites for the home win on Wednesday, to the tune of a 3/10 quote, with Monaco running as huge 9/1 underdogs for the match win.
Recent head-to-head: Arsenal just ahead against Monaco
There have been two previous Champions League matches which happened in the Last 16 stage of the 2014/15 campaign. The Gunners lost heavily at home in the first leg by a 3-1 scoreline. They almost turned it around in the second leg, but could only come up with a 2-0 win, meaning they were eliminated on away goals by Monaco.
Players to watch: Can Eliesse Ben Seghir strike?
Teenager Eliesse Ben Seghir has the chance to follow in the footsteps of Kylian Mbappé. After scoring in Monaco's last Champions League fixture, he could become just the second teenager to score in consecutive UCL games since Mbappe did it back in 2017.
For Arsenal, Bukayo Saka has produced some nice form in the Champions League. He has scored and assisted in four different UCL matches since the start of last season. In his last six home appearances in the competition, Saka has scored five goals and assisted three. The Gunners need another big night from him in order to drive towards automatic qualification.
Predicted Lineups
Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both definitely sidelined for the Gunners, while Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori are doubts. Monaco have Christian Mawissa suspended and have several key attacking players out including Edan Diop and Krepin Diatta.
Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Monaco: Majecki; Vanderson, Salisu, Kehrer, Henrique; Zakaria, Camara; Akliouche, Ben Seghir, Golovin; Embolo
Anything else catch the eye?
Monaco hold a good record against English opposition, winning five of their last seven Champions League matches against Premier League teams (L2). This is their first match against an English opponent since they beat Man City 3-1 back in 2017, however.
The Ligue 1 side scored a 1-0 victory at Bologna in their last away match and haven't won back-to-back Champions League road matches since 2014-15, when, incidentally, Arsenal were their second victims in that sequence. Monaco, who are level on points with Arsenal, but have scored four more goals than their opponents have, may see this as an exercise in not losing more than pushing hard for the win.
Monaco have had a couple of wobbles in their recent overall form, with a W1 L2 record in their last three played in all competitions, which included a shock home loss against Benfica on Match Day 5 of the Champions League.
The impetus will be on Arsenal to drive forward in this game, and the Gunners have only conceded two goals in their W3 D1 L1 Champions League record this season. Arsenal have found the back of the net in each of their last eleven home games in the competitions, averaging 2.5 goals per game. The Gunners are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions (W4 D2) and have scored at least two goals in four of their last five played.
This UEFA Champions League match between Arsenal and Monaco will be played on Dec 11, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Monaco prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
