Monaco will take on Barcelona in the Champions League on Thursday, 19 September as the first week of Champions League action draws to a close.
The hosts have made a very encouraging start to the season, picking up ten points from their opening four matches in Ligue One.
However, over in Spain, Barcelona have been even more impressive. Hansi Flick's men have started the new La Liga season with five wins from five games and will look to extend their winning start to the Champions League on Thursday night.
How the bookies view it: The visitors start as favourites
Given their winning start to the new season, it should come as no surprise that Barcelona are expected to win again on Thursday night even as the away team. Betfred have priced Monaco as the underdogs at 100/30 while a win for Barcelona has been priced at 8/11. The draw, which would be a better result for the hosts, has been priced at 3/1.
Recent head-to-head: A first meeting in 30 years
This is the first time that the two teams have met since they faced off in the Champions League group phase in the 1993/94 season. Barcelona won both ties that season, winning 2-0 at the Camp Nou before winning 1-0 in Monaco. Both clubs ultimately qualified from the group and Barcelona made it all the way to the final where they lost 4-0 to AC Milan.
Players to watch: A battle of the teenager
Monaco and Barcelona are no strangers to bringing through world-class talent at a young age. After all, it was Lionel Messi who came through the famous Barcelona youth system while it was Monaco who introduced the world to Kylian Mbappe.
In 2024, the two clubs are at it again. Everyone knows all about Barcelona's Lamine Yamal after his glittering Euro 2024 performances for Spain and the 17-year-old has continued his electric form under Hansi Flick at club level. Yamal is already on three goals and four assists after just five La Liga matches this season and he is fast becoming one of the best players in the world despite still being a child.
For Monaco, Eliesse Ben Seghir is starting to make waves in Ligue One. The 19-year-old winger may not be quite as electrifying as Yamal but he is off the mark for the season after netting against Lyon and will be a player Barcelona need to keep an eye on.
Predicted line-ups
Monaco will be without Edan Diop and Radoslaw Majecki for this one due to injury but Lamine Camara has been cleared to play despite suffering from a suspected concussion. Dani Olmo has joined the injury list at Barcelona after pulling his hamstring against Girona. Olmo joins five other players, including Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, in the treatment room.
Monaco: Kohn – Vanderson, Kehrer, Elebi, Henrique – Zakaria, Camara – Akliouche, Minamino, Ben Seghir – Embolo
Barcelona: Ter Stegen – Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde – Garcia, Casado, Pedri – Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona have been simply outstanding from an attacking point of view so far this season and have scored eleven goals in their last two matches. Beyond that, there hasn't been a game this season where they haven't scored at least two goals. Barcelona to score over 2.5 goals on Thursday has been priced at 7/4 by Betfred.
This UEFA Champions League match between Monaco and Barcelona will be played on Sep 19, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Monaco vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
