Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Monaco
Match Time & Date:
19/09/2024
21:00
Prediction: 0-2
Barcelona
Stade Louis II will be the centre of attention when Monaco and Barcelona square off against each other in the Champions League round 1. Les Rouges et Blancs made a promising start to the season and they must be brimming with confidence following a 3-0 win over Auxerre. Barca, though, will pose a much bigger threat for the Ligue 1 side than their previous rivals. Lamine Camara is a major doubt after limping off with injury at the weekend, with Wilfried Singo being ready to step up.
The Catalans, on the other hand, will continue relying on star teenager Lamine Yamal, who has been scoring goals for fun in La Liga this season. As Hansi Flick has already put pieces of Barca’s puzzle together, we are tempted to bet on the high-flying visitors. The likes of Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Frenkie De Jong, Ronald Araujo, Gavi, and Andreas Christensen are injured for the visiting side, but Flick still has a number of top-class players to choose from, including Pedri, Lewandowski, and Raphinha.
Highlighted Player (Robert Lewandowski):
After scoring 36 goals in 59 league games for Znicz Pruskow, Robert Lewandowski joined Lech Poznan in June, 2008. The 184-cm-tall attacker scored 18 goals in 28 appearances for the club in the 2009/2010 Ekstraklasa campaign and during the season he was on Borussia Dortmund’s radar.
The Polish forward signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga side in June, 2010 and he quickly established himself as the team’s key attacker. Lewandowski was producing excellent performances with the Millionaires between 2010 and 2014 and it has to be noted that he won two Bundesliga trophies with the club (2010/2011, 2011/2012). He participated in the 2012/2013 Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund, but the Millionaires were beaten by fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in the title game.
However, he betrayed Borussia Dortmund fans in 2014 as he signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga giants. Lewandowski impressed in the 2016/2017 Bundesliga campaign as he scored 30 goals in 32 league games for Pep Guardiola’s troops. The Polish footballer represented his homeland at Euro 2016 in France and he scored one goal at the showpiece tournament in France.
Highlighted Team (Monaco):
Though based in Monaco, Les Rouges et Blances – as they are commonly referred to – play their games in the French football league system. Members of the top tier Ligue 1, Monaco play their home matches at the Stade Louis II in Fontvieille in front of 18,500 people. The Principality club boasts a turbulent history, which saw Monaco reach the highest heights of both domestic and international scene, but also get relegated to the amateur leagues at the very beginnings and to Ligue 2 in 2010-11 season.
The following year AS Monaco were acquired by the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, whose heavy investments turned the Principality club into one of the biggest spenders in Europe in 2013 and reestablishing its place among Europe’s top clubs.
AS Monaco have had notable European results in the modern football era having been runners-up in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 2004. One of the most successful clubs in France AS Monaco have so far won seven league titles and five Coupe de France trophies.
Man City 
Everton
Bournemouth
Crystal Palace 
Chelsea 
Fulham
Newcastle 
Aston Villa 
Nottingham Forest 
Tottenham
Southampton 
West Ham 
